Responsibility Matters

"This is a well-written, inventive and often delightful book that breaks new ground in some awfully well-trodden and often tedious territory. I love how French draws on movies, literature, and ordinary conversation to set up and sometimes help resolve philosophical discussions. His use of literature is excellent--Dickens on space and time, for example--and his philosophical follow-ups are challenging. This book will cause a stir and excite some real discussion."--Robert C. Solomon, author of Passion for Justice: Emotion and the Origins of the Social Contract "French is clearly the most important American moral philosopher writing on the concept of responsibility. His essays are witty, sophisticated, and curmudgeonly. He sets the terms of the debate for the rest of us."--Larry May, author of Sharing Responsibility "Intriguing and stimulating throughout. French's scope is remarkably broad; he ties together issues and work in metaphysics, ethics, political and legal theory, and literature. By broadening the domain of analysis, he has made a useful contribution to the ongoing debates about the nature of moral responsibility."--John Martin Fischer, editor of Moral Responsibility