Marianna Leventi
Lund University
The concept of moral protest has played a significant role in the discussions on moral responsibility. Moral protest was first introduced by Pamela Hieronymi (2001) as a form of moral blame, an idea that influenced future approaches. According to Hieronymi, moral protest targets the harmful act instead of the agent who performed it and, at the same time, encourages a less extreme reaction to that act. The concept of moral protest is revisionary and it could provide support to members of vulnerable groups. As with every philosophical concept, it is open to objections and this article highlights that moral protest as it was introduced does not prioritize the needs of vulnerable groups and victims of systemic injustice. However, an updated version of protest, which distinguishes protest from blame and establishes protest as a distinct moral response, can provide support to the people who are most often victimized. By responding with protest toward the harmful act, the victims challenge the behavior that harms them without having to engage with the wrongdoer directly if they do not wish to do so. Victims can instead protest against the perpetrators’ behavior by discussing the event with a third party. The main advantage of adopting protest as the main response toward the perpetrators is that it allows victims to interact with perpetrators, whom victims cannot really avoid interacting with, such as family members or coworkers. It can further be used to deal with the perpetrators whose moral capacities are compromised, an idea that is explored but is not the main aim of this paper. The goal of this paper, by rethinking protest as a concept, is to promote the well-being of victims and show how vulnerable groups can navigate challenging situations.
Chair: Kendra Gordillo
Time: September 13th, 11:20 – 11:50
Location: SR 1.007
SOPhiA 2026 