Collective responsibility

Responsibility shared among people whose actions affect others, rather than belonging to only one individual.

The principle that people share responsibility for one another’s wellbeing and for the consequences of their actions.

In 1942 he co-founded the Common Wealth Party, which advocated common ownership and ethical politics. These activities show that collective responsibility was not merely an idea he invented for the Inspector: it belonged to his wider political commitments.

Responsibility shared by people whose actions and lives affect one another.

The idea that people share duties towards others and must consider how their actions affect the wider community.

Responsibility shared by several people whose actions contribute to an outcome. Sharing responsibility does not remove each person’s individual blame.

Responsibility shared by several people whose actions affect others; one person’s responsibility does not cancel out another’s.

Accountability shared by several people whose actions contribute to an outcome; sharing responsibility does not remove each individual’s blame.

The idea that people share duties towards others because their lives and actions are connected.

The principle that people share duties towards others, rather than being responsible only for themselves and their families.

The Inspector’s declaration in Act Three, “We are members of one body”, expresses collective responsibility: individuals belong to an interconnected society. The bodily metaphor suggests that harm to one part concerns the whole. The repeated “We” includes the audience as well as the family.

The idea that several people can contribute to a situation and have duties towards others, rather than responsibility belonging to only one individual.

Responsibility shared by members of a group or society. In An Inspector Calls, several people contribute to Eva’s suffering, so blaming one person does not remove everyone else’s responsibility.

A shared duty to protect other people’s welfare, rather than treating their suffering as solely their own problem.

The idea that people share a duty to consider and protect one another’s wellbeing.

In the play, his concern with social inequality becomes an argument for collective responsibility rather than Birling’s emphasis on looking after oneself and one’s family alone.

A duty towards other people’s welfare that is shared across a community, rather than belonging only to isolated individuals.

Definition

How each exam board covers it

AQA GCSE English Literature · 8702

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Edexcel GCSE English Literature · 1ET0

OCR GCSE English Literature · J352

Eduqas GCSE English Literature · C720