rri-100-2 (collective responsibility)

[chrisdburr]

The following root file has been created:

• Title: Collective Responsibility
• Module: What is Responsible Research and Innovation
• Skills Track: Responsible Research and Innovation
• Section: 2

Tasks

• Review root file (Clau)
• Answer comments (Chris)
• Draft web version (Clau)
• Review web version (Chris)
• Create slides (Chris)
• Review slides and draft script (Clau)

Link to file: https://github.com/alan-turing-institute/turing-commons/blob/drafts/drafts/rri-skillstrack/rri-modules/root-files/rri-100-2.md

[chrisdburr]

I’m not that happy with the following section. Do you think you could try to improve this section by adding a stronger argument against collective responsibility?

turing-commons/drafts/rri-skillstrack/rri-modules/root-files/rri-100-2.md

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	### Arguments *Against* Collective Responsibility
	Holding a group collectively responsible can have pragmatic benefits (e.g. punishing a group for the misbehaviour of an individual creates motivating disincentives for future misconduct). However, our intuitions may still lead us to think that only one person was truly *responsible*.
	----
	> "Value belongs to the individual and it is the individual who is the sole bearer of moral responsibility. No one is morally guilty except in relation to some conduct which he himself considered to be wrong... Collective responsibility is... barbarous." (Lewis 1948, pp. 3–6)
	----
	It could also be argued that collective responsibility lets individuals off the hook for personal responsbility.
	For instance, consider the phenomena of the 'bystander effect', explained in the following video:
	<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OSsPfbup0ac?start=35" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
	----
	Those who wish to argue against collective notions of responsibility, therefore, may wish to appeal to intuitions or point to such empiricial matter.

[ClauFischer]

• I think there is an interesting wider issue around collective responsibility, although I'm unsure where exactly the place for it would be. I think problems with a structure similar to the tragedy of the commons are super widespread and some of the biggest problems we face as a species have this structure (anthropogenic climate change, safe AI development, etc). I know it's not exactly collective responsibility but it is related and I think it might be interesting to have something on it.
  

  turing-commons/drafts/rri-skillstrack/rri-modules/root-files/rri-100-2.md

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  ## Collective Responsibility

• Add to section on arguments against collective responsibility.

[ClauFischer]

• FOR CHRIS Re-reading this: why would punishing a group for the misbehaviour of an individual create motivating disincentives for future misconduct? If anything, I would assume it would make individuals more likely to misbehave as they do not pay the full costs of their misbehaviour.

turing-commons/drafts/rri-skillstrack/rri-modules/root-files/rri-100-2.md

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Holding a group collectively responsible can have pragmatic benefits (e.g. punishing a group for the misbehaviour of an individual creates motivating disincentives for future misconduct). However, our intuitions may still lead us to think that only one person was truly *responsible*.

[chrisdburr]

Imagine a situation where an individual transgress some norm, and the affect is that a team are all penalised (e.g. stricter measures are brought in). As a result, the team may end up holding each other responsible to avoid further punishment.

Not suggesting this is an ethical behaviour mind you. Just noting that it happens.

[ClauFischer]

@chrisdburr
Yes I understand. I was thinking on the incentives for the individual who caused the harm versus the incentives for the rest of the members of the group to hold said individual accountable.

Maybe we could say something like:
"e.g. punishing a group for the misbehaviour of an individual creates motivating incentives for team members to hold each other responsible to avoid future punishment"?

@ClauFischer Add caveat on punitive emphasis.

[ClauFischer]

@chrisdburr I have drafted something for the "arguments against collective responsibility section".
However, when reading through the section again, I think there might be some confusion (perhaps only on my part!) as to the difference between collective and distributed responsibility. Maybe it's worth having a short discussion on it, to make sure I am adding useful content. Thanks :)

[chrisdburr]

@ClauFischer did we settle the above issues? Just wondering if I can check off the second task?

[ClauFischer]

@chrisdburr Yes, I'll tick that off.