Moral Luck

Thomas Nagel introduces us to the role of chance in our moral judgments.

Chance plays a crucial role in moral judgment. Moral luck is a way of thinking about the relation between luck and moral accountability that recognizes that no one really knows what outcomes will result from their intentions. Specifically, “Moral luck occurs when an agent can be correctly treated as an object of moral judgment despite the fact that a significant aspect of what she is assessed for depends on factors beyond her control.”