In the German philosophical tradition the concept of responsibility (Verantwortung) has been accorded special and extensive treatment, especially in relation to science and technology. The following introduction to this tradition begins with a description of responsibility as a relational construct and then distinguishes three basic levels of responsibility: action responsibility, role responsibility, and universal moral responsibility.

Basic Concept

The German word Verantwortung derives from the Middle High German and originally meant simply "to answer," probably in response to an accusative question such as "Did you do X?" The concept of responsibility is thus evaluative and attributive as well as descriptive. A person can be held (to be) responsible, which introduces the normative or ethical dimension into human experience.

The concept of responsibility implies a multidimensional structure linked to assignment, attribution, and imputation, in ways that may be analyzed and interpreted with respect to the...