Thomas Nagel's Theory Of Moral Luck

Thomas Nagel’s contribution in the field of philosophy is about moral luck. The ideas this researcher presents in his article explains the nature of a human being and how every action he or she effects determines different consequences that can occur in their lives and personalities. In this paper, the principles provided by Nagel will be explained and the same theory will be compared to Kantian judgment. These two thinking approaches will also be considered based on several scenarios and situations. Thomas Nagel is architect behind the theory of moral luck and puts those to rest that claim luck does not appear in our daily practices. “Moral Luck is the idea that whether a person is morally good or morally bad can be influenced by factors outside of his or her control” (Louise.) Moral luck is not just about what’s happened, but whether what happened was intentional or not. Contemplate this: you and a friend decide to throw a penny from the second floor. Your friend’s penny lands on the carpeted floor while the penny you threw hits a kid square in the eye, permanently damaging the eye. In the instance of moral luck, your morality is less than your friends. Thus, even though your friends also threw pennies, the consequences of each action determine the emotional reaction of every …show more content…
The psychologist presents compelling arguments for his ideas in a way that easily convinces the intended audience. Nagel is able to portray the entire idea of morality as a trait, which is beyond artificial control. Thus, moral luck presents the human being as an individual who is incapable of any control over their lives. On the other hand, Kantian Ethics define the human psychological process based on some superior form of control. These two principles conflict on various levels. However, they both provide useful information that explain the lives of people and personality