In moral philosophy, the word responsibility has at least two related meanings: Ethics is a general term for what is often described as the science (study) of morality. In philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is good or right. ...

• The obligation to answer for actions. Often this means answering to some specified authority.

• The recognition that in order to achieve one's purposes, one must act oneself ("take" responsibility) rather than expecting others to do something (compare initiative).

The etymology of the word ultimately relates to Latin respondere (to reply). An obligation can be legal or moral. ... A primary concern of the theory of action in philosophy is to demarcate actions from other doings. ... In politics, authority generally refers to the ability to make laws, independent of the power to enforce them, or the ability to permit something. ... Purpose is deliberately thought-through goal-directedness. ... In historical linguistics, etymology is the study of the origins of words. ...

Generations of worry about a Christian Last Judgement have engrained a sense of "personal responsibility" into ethical decision-making. Any action seen as causing a situation can (in a hyper-critical society) become an occasion for sheeting home "responsibility" (blame). Generation is the act of producing offspring, or procreation. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. ... Image:Michelangelo - Fresco of the Last Judgment. ... Decision making is the cognitive process of selecting a course of action from among multiple alternatives. ... A primary concern of the theory of action in philosophy is to demarcate actions from other doings. ... ... See also: BLAME!, a manga by Tsutomu Nihei. ...

In politics, calls for responsibility often form a pejorative means of attacking political opponents. This habit of demanding behaviour aligned to one's own desires also occurs in other arenas: one expects "responsibility" from children, parents, spouses, colleagues and employees, meaning they should change their attitudes to suit the speaker. The Elections and Parties Series Democracy Representative democracy History of democracy Referenda Liberal democracy Representation Voting Voting systems Ideology Elections Elections by country Elections by calender Electoral systems Politics Politics by country Political campaigns Political science Political philosophy Related topics Political parties Parties by country Parties by name Parties by... In statistics, mean has two related meanings: the average in ordinary English, which is more correctly called the arithmetic mean, to distinguish it from geometric mean or harmonic mean. ... Politics is the process and method of decision-making for groups of human beings. ... A habit is the usual condition or state of a person or thing, either natural or acquired, regarded as something had, possessed, and firmly retained. ... Behavior or behaviour refers to the actions or reactions of an object or organism, usually in relation to the environment. ... Desire can refer to preference, on which microeconomic theory is based; a thought that leads to an action; the concept in Lacanian psychoanalytic theory, related to the Oedipus complex; tanha in Buddhist psychology, as described in the Four Noble Truths; a Bob Dylan album of that name; a feeling due... An arena is a circular or oval shaped public space (akin to a classical amphitheatre), designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. ... A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... Parenting comprises all the tasks involved in raising a child to an independent adult. ... Marriage is a relationship that plays a key role in the definition of many families. ... Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues. ... Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... This article is about the psychological term attitude. ... One might be looking for the academic discipline of communications. ...

Compare accountability. See also the section on moral responsibility in the article on free will. Accountability has several meanings and is the subject of a broad debate in American governance. ... Free will is the philosophical doctrine that holds that our choices are ultimately up to ourselves. ... Free will is the philosophical doctrine that holds that our choices are ultimately up to ourselves. ...

Related topics

• ministerial responsibility
• natural responsibility
• social responsibility

In the Westminster System ministerial responsibility is the notion that a cabinet minister bears the ultimate responsibility for the actions of their ministry. ... Social responsibility can be viewed as a part of the social contract in that is the responsibility of each entity whether it is state, government, corporation, organisation or individual that they are contributing to society at large, or on a smaller scale. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about:

Responsibility

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Moral Responsibility

There was a song called "Responsibility" by the Washington punk band MxPx, from their sixth full-length album The Ever Passing Moment. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ... State nickname: The Evergreen State Other U.S. States Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Governor Christine Gregoire (D) Official languages None Area 184,824 km² (18th)  - Land 172,587 km²  - Water 12,237 km² (6. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... MxPx is a punk band that was formed in 1992 in Bremerton, Washington. ... The Ever Passing Moment is the sixth full-length album by MxPx, released on May 16, 2000 (see 2000 in music). ...