Pages: 41-58

Abstract

The issue of "moral responsibility" is one of the most significant moral issues that has ‎caught the attention of moral philosophers. In the course of history of moral ‎discussions, many issues have been debated on the meaning of responsibility, its ‎conditions and properties of the responsible man. The importance of this issue becomes ‎understood when we pay attention to its relationship with some philosophic-theological ‎discussions as well as the data of natural sciences and humanities. This issue from one ‎perspective is intertwined with such issues as causality, determinism and volition. On ‎other hand, it is interrelated with such vital theological issues as omniscience and ‎omnipotence of God and divine providence. The despisers of moral responsibility ‎struggle to prove through different proofs that human actions are contingent upon the ‎conditions and modes that do not need any other reason. Moreover, they seek to ‎demonstrate that human will has no role in their existence or absence. Determinists ‎provide certain reasons in order to prove their claims in this regard. Some of these ‎scholars deny human will and moral responsibility based on the law of causality. Some ‎others have become bogged down in determinism due to their defected understanding ‎of religious doctrines like Absolute Power (omnipotence), omniscience and divine ‎providence. They deny moral responsibility and human actions. Some Asharite thinkers ‎have resorted to the notions of "God's Omnipotence" in order to deny all types of ‎influence and interference of other issues in the accomplishment of human actions‎‎.