Rethinking responsibility: An Abhidharma Buddhist view

If reductionism about personal identity is true, “no one ever deserves to be punished for anything they did.” I call this the Responsible Agency Challenge. This paper addresses the question: How should we respond to this challenge? My response is inspired by the famous fifth century Buddhist Abhidharma philosopher, Vasubandhu, and the historical roots of the denial of personal identity in Buddhist philosophy, which points towards a new impersonalist account of agency and responsibility. This impersonalism opens up the space for a far‐reaching and comprehensive revision of our ordinary responsibility practices and reactive attitudes.