Unterlassungen und ihre Folgen

Omissions are phenomena that are of great relevance in ethical and juridical contexts but are very difficult to grasp for theories of action and causality and thus for normative evaluation. The question of the relationship between the two terms, »omission« and »action,« is of particular interest for the theory of action: Are these concepts mutually exclusive, or does the concept of »action« include its negative counterpart? The more important question however is whether omissions can have consequences. Carl Bottek argues that although there is no plausible theory of causality, most of the theories presented have no problem in seeing omissions as causally relevant. These considerations are also of importance for the evaluation of passive euthanasia.