Beginning in childhood, and continuing throughout our lives, we are immersed in a web of evaluations, attitudes, and practices that are evidence of our deep commitment to moral responsibility. At the same time, we may encounter puzzles and perplexities that may encourage skepticism about moral responsibility.

This Very Short Introduction explores our understanding of moral responsibility and what it involves. This includes various practical problems that we face in dealing with it in a truthful, effective, and humane way. The picture presented is one that falls in the territory that lies between a consoling optimism and a bleak pessimism about our human ethical predicament.