Group Action for a Reason

Abstract

Abstract The reason for which a group acts affects whether a group is praiseworthy for its action. For instance, we might differently assess two companies who both implement green policies but for different reasons (because it’s the right thing to do or because it’s profitable). I argue against a summative account on which the reason(s) for which a group performs an action is a function of the reason(s) for which its members play their parts in the group’s action. Instead, I suggest a non-summative causal account on which a group performs an action α for reason r if and only if the group’s action of performing α is non-deviantly caused by r. This allows that when a group does α for r, the members of the group may play their parts for a wide variety of motivations, whether because they share the group’s values or through incentivization.