Should people be held morally and legally blameworthy for consequences beyond their control?
Evaluates Thomas Nagel and Bernard Williams's 'moral luck': why do we judge two identical reckless drivers differently if a child happens to step in front of only one?
Pick a Side
Choose a position to defend, or let fate assign your stance.
Arguments FOR
1. Moral culpability must track actual real-world harm inflicted
Society cannot punish crimes based solely on internal mental states; the real tragedy of an innocent child's death demands proportionate legal accountability.
2. Deters reckless behavior by making actors internalize catastrophic tail risks
Knowing that bad luck turns a minor traffic violation into a 10-year vehicular manslaughter sentence forces citizens to exercise extreme vigilance.
3. Recognizes human entanglement in the material physical world
We do not live as detached disembodied spirits; our moral character is forged and tested through our physical impact on real human beings.
4. Provides justice and closure for grieving victims
Telling a bereaved family that the drunk driver who killed their daughter is no more guilty than someone who drove drunk safely home mocks grief.
Arguments AGAINST
1. Violates the fundamental Kantian Control Principle of morality
A person can only be held morally responsible for what was within their direct control; holding someone guilty for pure random luck destroys fairness.
2. Two identical drunk drivers possess identical internal moral guilt
Driver A and Driver B took the exact same immoral gamble; punishing Driver A with prison while Driver B gets a minor fine is an arbitrary lottery.
3. Constitutive luck undermines the very concept of desert
We do not choose our genes, our parents, our childhood traumas, or our temperament; constitutive luck determines our character before we make choices.
4. Encourages hypocritical moral self-righteousness
People who grew up in safe, wealthy suburbs judge criminals harshly, ignoring that they were merely blessed with fortunate circumstantial luck.
Counter Questions
Questions to challenge claims and probe deeper into trade-offs.
- If two people drive drunk at the same speed, but a child only runs in front of one, why do we send one to prison for manslaughter and give the other a ticket?
- Why did philosopher Thomas Nagel argue that moral luck reveals a deep, insoluble contradiction at the core of human morality?
- Can someone be morally praised for being a kind, generous person if they were born with naturally high empathy genes and wealthy loving parents?
- How would our criminal justice system change if punishments were based strictly on intent rather than resulting consequences?
- Does luck play a larger role in personal success than hard work and discipline?
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