Making Sense of Jonestown: When Is an Action My Action?

Abstract

This thesis concerns the tragic events that occurred in Jonestown, Guyana, where the members of the People's Temple of the Disciples of Christ committed collective suicide. However, some have argued that this should actually be seen as murder, committed by church leader Jim Jones. The thesis presents a theory that explains how an individual can have ownership of an action. With the help of this theory, a thought experiment is presented that aims to clarify under what conditions the church members would have had ownership of their collective death, under what conditions they would not, and under what conditions we cannot tell.