In liberal societies, “some people are to blame, others are responsible”. Legal systems determine whom, if anyone fits these categories and the differences between them.
In aviation, we strive to avoid blame, which is established in hindsight and focuses on individual failure; this does little to advance our safety objectives.
However, responsibility can be held by anyone or everyone, and proactively applied to help avoid accidents. Its application is limited by human performance, be this knowledge, behavior, thought, etc.
“Sometimes things go wrong – so that we know when they go right”. Knowing the difference between right and wrong is part of being responsible. Aviation professionals should seek the highest standard of judgment between right and wrong, thus being responsible - partly to satisfy the public need, but also as their professional duty.
No doubt, the legal system has similar professionalism and has to satisfy a public need, but unfortunately, these activities do not always share the same aviation safety objectives.