A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Born which Way? ADHD, Situational Self-Control, and Responsibility




AuthorsPolaris Koi

PublisherSPRINGER

Publication year2020

JournalNeuroethics

Journal name in sourceNEUROETHICS

Journal acronymNEUROETHICS-NETH

Number of pages14

ISSN1874-5490

eISSN1874-5504

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s12152-020-09439-3(external)

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/48730927(external)


Abstract
Debates concerning whether Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) mitigates responsibility often involve recourse to its genetic and neurodevelopmental etiology. For such arguments, individuals with ADHD have diminished self-control, and hence do not fully satisfy the control condition for responsibility, when there is a genetic or neurodevelopmental etiology for this diminished capacity. In this article, I argue that the role of genetic and neurobiological explanations has been overstated in evaluations of responsibility. While ADHD has genetic and neurobiological causes, rather than embrace the essentialistic notion that it directly diminishes self-control and, therefore, responsibility, we ought to think of ADHD as constraining only some self-control practices. In particular, situational self-control strategies remain feasible for people with ADHD. However, not all individuals haveaccessto these strategies. I suggest a way to evaluate responsibility in terms of situational rather than agential pleas, which tracks whether the individual had access to self-control behaviors. While I restrict my discussion to ADHD, the access-based approach is also relevant for assessments of responsibility for other cases where self-control failures are at stake.

Downloadable publication

This is an electronic reprint of the original article.
This reprint may differ from the original in pagination and typographic detail. Please cite the original version.





Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 21:18