Not in My Name! The Ethics of Acting for Others

We don’t only care about what other people do but also why they do it. It matters whether they act for our sakeor for some other purpose. This research examines why this matters to us and why it is valuable to have control over whether others can act in our name.

Mapwork of the Project

• Project Leader: Dr Jonathan Parry
• Project Timeline: September 2022 - August 2028
• Aim: The Not in My Name project aims to uncover and explain the moral significance of two ubiquitous yet opaque phenomena. On the one hand, it is common for agents to justify their actions by claiming to act ‘on behalf of’ another. On the other hand, these claims often provoke indignation and rejection on the part of their subject(s).
• Relevance: Despite the central role these phenomena play in our lives, surprisingly little is understood about their moral significance and the concepts and values that underpin them. What does it mean, exactly, for an agent to act ‘on behalf’ of another person or group? It seems intuitive that successfully acting on behalf of others contributes to the moral justification of one’s actions. But what explains this connection? Under what circumstances do persons and groups have a right to demand that others not act on their behalf? Crucially, why (and to what extent) do such demands impose constraints on the moral justifiability of others’ actions? How do these constraints affect the moral justification of state action and public policy?
• Impact: The Not in My Name project aims to produce agenda-setting answers to these (relevant) questions. It combines theoretical work in moral and political philosophy with detailed applied research in three practical areas: public health policy, the use of armed force, and political protest and dissent.