Reply to Peterson: How Nuclear Weapons Change Moral Responsibility

Abstract I defend my analysis of Kenneth Waltz’s position against two points of criticism. First, my view that Waltz proposes a “hybrid account” of moral agency applies to fewer phenomena than a human-centered explanation. However, I show that this is by design. Waltz exclusively writes about international relations, which, as a special field of inquiry, requires distinct explanations. Second, even though technological artifacts shape human moral agency, they are not moral agents themselves. I agree with this point, but note that we should not underestimate how drastically the mere existence of nuclear weapons has shaped human moral responsibility.