Recognizing Collectives as Moral Agents

Abstract

Until recently, discussions on moral agency focused almost exclusively on the individual moral subject. Recognizing that social structures and cultures influence human subjects but do not have agency, this article argues that we must now recognize the moral agency of organized collectives. Invoking the work of philosophers and other theologians who already do, this article turns to theological ethicists writing on community organizing, racism, and social virtues, and, finally, to feminists engaging moral luck and intersectionality to illustrate the importance of collective moral agency. It concludes by describing qualifications for estimating the ethical agency of such collectives.