Title
The Need to Attend to Probabilities (for Purposes of Self-Defense and Other Preemptive Actions)
Abstract
In this short essay I ask what must someone acting in defense of others believe and with what level of credence in order not to be culpable for so acting. I focus on defense of others to avoid the issue of excuse, as the defender of others is not acting out of fear for his own safety, a fear that might excuse the defensive acts of the victim of the feared attack. I focus on beliefs and levels of credence because no defender can know for certain the factors relevant to permissible defensive actions.
Keywords
preemtive action, culpability, justification, excuse, necessity, probability
Document Type
Article
Year
2018
Digital USD Citation
Alexander, Larry, "The Need to Attend to Probabilities (for Purposes of Self-Defense and Other Preemptive Actions)" (2018). Faculty Scholarship. 41.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/law_fac_works/41