Moral Obligation, Luck, and Alternative Possibilities

Date
2012-12-14
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Abstract
The way in which luck impacts moral obligation has not been given sufficient philosophical attention. It is the subject of this thesis. I argue that just as there is a control condition that must be met in order for one to be morally responsible, so too there is a control condition that must be met in order for one to perform a morally obligatory action. The requisite control is captured by the principle that “ought” implies “can” (Kant’s Law). Exercising such control requires alternatives--namely that one both can and can refrain from performing any given action. However, through a series of cases, I will show that having such alternatives is often a matter of luck.
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Philosophy
Citation
Murphy, T. L. (2012). Moral Obligation, Luck, and Alternative Possibilities (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27006