How Was and Is the Word “Responsibility” Used ?

Abstract

　The purpose of this paper is to consider the meaning of responsibility and to demonstrate the changes in its use.
　Attribution theorists F. Heider, K. G. Shaver, B. Weiner and V. L. Hamilton investigated the moral attribution process of responsibility. However, what they consider is not responsibility but a "charge" ( in other words, one aspect of responsibility). Their misconceptions are revealed in their common explanation of sanctions. This common explanation presupposes that positive sanction is the opposite of negative sanction. In this view, positive sanction is assumed to be the inversion of negative sanction. Responsibility implies both blameworthiness and praiseworthiness. But these two types of worthiness are not opposed to one another. They represent two sorts of duties: perfect and imperfect duties. Perfect duty means that it is matter of course to do something and blameworthy not to do it. Imperfect duty means that it is praiseworthy to do something and not wrong not to do it.
　By using this taxonomy, we examine the use of the word "responsibility." The stimulus coordinates from 1982 are compared with the coordinates from 2000, and the change in its use is demonstrated. The organized structure of past responsibility had groupings of both perfect duty and imperfect duty. The organized structure of present responsibility has groupings of perfect duty alone. Imperfect duty has been included in prevention, which is an aspect of perfect duty. The meaning of responsibility is reorganized to be "prevention and charge."