ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the implications of recent shifts in moral philosophy for thinking about the morality of people with intellectual disabilities. Put most brazenly, the question is this: to what degree is it possible to talk about the morality of people whose cognitive capacities are impaired? Traditional moral philosophical accounts seem minimally helpful: deontological approaches to moral reasoning seem inapplicable for such people because of their limited sense of rights or duties (responsibilities); rule-based utilitarianism appears problematic because people with intellectual disabilities may not be able to fully comprehend the rationales of such rules; and consequentialism is practically besides the point for those who are unable to follow out the outcomes of their actions. Are people with disabilities therefore incapable of either exercising responsibility or of being moral agents?
