Moral luck is essentially when
someone is either blamed or praised for an action or it’s consequences, even
though that person did not have full control over the action or it’s
consequences. An example of moral luck that I have encountered in my life happened
fairly recently. I live in an apartment with a few roommates and each month we
take turns paying the rent, so we don’t have to worry about splitting it every
month. I paid in December; another girl paid in January, and in February, the
girl who was supposed to pay the rent forgot it was her month to pay. So
because one roommate forgot to pay, all four of us got in trouble with our
landlord and we all had to split a ridiculous late fee.
While moral luck plays a huge part in our
lives, I do not think it should be considered an ethical problem. It just has
to do with the decisions we make, whether good or bad, and the fallout that
comes along with that decision. In my case, if my roommates and I had used
better judgment in finding a fourth girl to live with, we would not be out $115
each. This situation had to do with our actions at the time, and I think it
could have easily been prevented if we had just taken the time to meet other
potential roommates. However, we did not take that time to meet other people,
and therefore, the four of us had to share the blame even though it was one
person’s fault we were in that bad situation.
Jackie, your definition of moral luck is on point. You did well on that. The part I might change is the example. It seems to be a example of bad luck and not moral luck. Moral luck would be if the roommate came from a poor background and does not get blamed for paying,even though she could have payed because her roommates take into account her background.Another example would be if she came from a wealthy background and was praised for paying the fees for everyone because she could afford to, despite her having missed the rent.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your stance on moral luck. Your example is good and shows how it was out of your control. The arguments need a little work. I feel there could be more. You just say that its all random and it is but there are a few more arguments that could be made. Maybe mention more about luck and how it can sway the situation either way. What if she did pay the rent on time would you still be saying that you should have met with your roommates or would it have just been another month of the usual thing. Try to take both sides on the view a bit more.
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