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1 Introduction
This article proposes a way of viewing expectations and their role on processes of attribution of responsibility. Before I begin, some of the assumptions of the underlying perspective should be mentioned. First, a Strawsonian vision of responsibility is assumed, based on the ideas presented by Peter Strawson in his essay Freedom and Resentment.1 At the same time, in this work I differ from common interpretations of the essay, centering attention on places usually not considered, in particular, the significance of the essay is explored in the legal (not only moral) domain and the importance of expectations (not only reactive attitudes) is discussed in order to understand responsibility.
On the other hand, the hypothesis that every attribution of responsibility process starts with an expectation is embraced,2 specifically, considering a breached expectation, and that the event that breached the expectation is for what someone is responsible. In this context, one may always ask the one attributing responsibility: “What were you expecting to happen?” with the intention that she makes explicit what she is holding someone responsible for.
With these assumptions, this work will show a way of understanding expectations in order to then, study how they are related to responsibility. Finally, this relationship is compared to the model that supposes that every process of attribution of responsibility implies the violation of an obligation from who is responsible.
2 Expectations
Expectations are linked to the idea of expecting in several ways and here we are interested in two of them. First, when one talk about the expectations present in a community, one refers to what is expected from us, as well as what one can expect from others. They are presented as standards of what should happen. Second, people may adopt these standards and, according to what they say or do, this adoption is attributed to them. This attribution is expressed by saying that persons have expectations and having an expectation means to expect something. The reference to that something places expectations in the group of the propositional attitudes, with desires and beliefs.
Therefore, expectations are related to two domains: the generation of standards (i.e. what is expected from the world, others and ourselves) and the adoption of those standards by persons (i.e....