Moral Luck

Abstract The problem of moral luck arises due to a particular tension in thought. On the one hand, many seem readily inclined to endorse the principle that moral responsibility—that is, one’s praiseworthiness or blameworthiness—cannot be affected by luck—that is, by factors over which one lacks control. But, when actual practices are examined, it appears that moral judgments are highly sensitive to luck. This resulting tension between principle and practice is the problem of moral luck, and an attempt to solve this problem is an attempt to resolve this tension. This chapter first explains the traditional characterization of the problem and reviews three general strategies in responding to it. It is then argued that the problem should be characterized in a slightly broader way. This refocusing turns out to have significant methodological implications.