Nagel Moral Luck

The concept of moral luck has been analyzed by many forbearers. This idea states that the actions people make depend on factors that are out of their control, yet we continue to treat them as the object of moral judgement. Nagel identifies the problem of moral luck as a conflict between our actions and principles that most share about mortality. He brings up a plausible idea that people cannot be morally judged for what is not their fault, or by factors that are out of their control.
Nagel describes moral luck by using the example of a drunk driver. Suppose a drunk driver hits a child playing in the middle of the road and kills them. People would call that driver a murderer but if the child had not been playing in the middle of the road, he would have just been called a fortunate driver. Nagel sees this as the problem of moral luck and asks whether luck plays a role in determining a person’s moral standing or if one is more affected by things out of their control. There are times when luck makes a moral difference. In the case of the drunk driver, Nagel says that the driver who killed the child is no worse than the fortunate driver because we cannot make one responsible just by the difference of …show more content…
He believes that happiness consists of being a virtuous person but also states that being a virtuous person requires you to not only have good qualities and characteristics but that you act on them. Without luck, you cannot develop a virtuous character. For example, to be caring you need to be in situations where people need to be cared for. Unless you practice the act of caring, you won’t develop that virtue. Aristotle writes that happiness “needs the external goods as well; for it is impossible, or not easy, to do noble acts without proper equipment” (Nelkin). This means that you need the proper goods, such as money, friends, and health, to lead a good