Abstract

In this paper, I shall attempt to understand a passage from Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov which raises the idea that we are responsible others. I shall begin with an examination of the main contemporary theories on moral responsibility and I shall argue that these theories fail to help us understand the Dostoyevsky passage. I shall then venture to suggest that Gabriel Marcel's idea of intersubjectivity may provide us with a key to understanding the passage. I believe that a reflection on the Dostoyevsky passage and Marcel's idea of intersubjectivity would greatly enrich our understanding of the concept of moral responsibility, along with the concept of self—I am convinced that how we see ourselves largely determines what we think we are responsible for. More specifically, I shall suggest that the idea of an “intersubjective self,” as opposed to the idea of an “egoistic” or “monadistic self” that is prevalent in contemporary culture, may be more appropriate for understanding who we are and may shed light on our concept of moral responsibility.