Morality, Luck, and Freewill
Morality and Freewill
The concept that morality is a product of autonomy does not necessarily mean that people should only act out of free will. External forces determine how people should respond to situations, even if the final decision is going to be autonomous. I align with the idea that free will and morality coexist. This compatibilist philosophical perspective avers that individuals can make morally responsible and autonomous decisions even if they are not acting completely out of free will (Hernández, 2009). Even if there are external constraining forces influencing people’s decisions, they can still make moral and autonomous decisions. For instance, a finance manager in a company may embezzle funds from their institution and cover up the act-implying that they acted out of free will. On the other hand, the finance manager may be instructed by a company CEO to embezzle funds without knowing that the action is illegal, implying that they did not act out of free will. Therefore, even if morality is a product of autonomy, it does not necessarily mean our will must be free. Our assignment writing services will allow you to attend to more important tasks as our experts handle your task.
Luck and Freewill
I align with the compatibilist philosophical perspective that avers that moral luck is a product of free will. People’s luck depends on the choices they make, and such choices are determined by their free will (Nelkin, 2004). Free will and luck coexist since people can control their actions. However, external circumstances also play a role in determining people’s luck because moral judgment may be influenced by factors beyond one’s control. A perfect example is Nazi collaborators accused of atrocities in Germany because they worked for Germany-based companies (Nelkin, 2004). Had these collaborators been moved by their companies to another destination, say Argentina, it is unlikely that they would have faced such circumstantial moral luck.
References
Hernández, M. D. M. C. (2009). The emotional basis of morality: Is autonomy still possible?. Universitas Philosophica, 26(53), 195-217.
Nelkin, D. K. (2004, January 26). Moral Luck (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Stanford.edu. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-luck/
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Question
If morality is the product of autonomy, can we then say that, necessarily, our wills must be free?
What about luck? How does circumstance make a difference, if any?