I’m delighted to remind you that the kindle ebook version of my book Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame is on sale for half price — just $4.99 — right this very minute! The sale will run until tomorrow, January 16th at 11 pm PT.

Here’s a bit about the book:

Does the pervasive influence of luck in life mean that people cannot be held responsible for their choices? Do people lack the control required to justify moral praise and blame?

In his famous article “Moral Luck,” philosopher Thomas Nagel casts doubt on our ordinary moral judgments of persons. He claims that we intuitively accept that moral responsibility requires control, yet we praise and blame people for their actions, the outcomes of those actions, and their characters — even though shaped by forces beyond their control, i.e., by luck. This is the “problem of moral luck.”

Philosopher Diana Hsieh argues that this attack on moral judgment rests on a faulty view of control, as well as other errors. By developing Aristotle’s theory of moral responsibility, Hsieh explains the sources and limits of a person’s responsibility for what he does, what he produces, and who he is. Ultimately, she shows that moral judgments are not undermined by luck.

In addition, this book explores the nature of moral agency and free will, the purpose of moral judgment, causation in tort and criminal law, the process of character development, and more.

If you want to learn more about the book, check out its web page: Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame. That page has links to free preview chapters, as well as chapter-by-chapter podcast discussions.

Now hurry on over to buy the kindle ebook for just $4.99 before it’s too late!

  • Adam Wildavsky

    Diana, I look forward to reading this, or better yet having it read to me. Do you plan an audio version? I find I make it through many more audio books in a year than I do print or kindle editions.

    • https://philosophyinaction.com/ Diana Hsieh

      I recorded Chapter One as a podcast, but that was so painful for me to do that I just can’t muster the motivation required to record the whole book… and I don’t think that I’d earn enough money to justify it either. Sorry!

      • Adam Wildavsky

        I’m sorry to hear it was painful, but now that I think about it other authors have said the same. I’ll listen to the first chapter — that should give me an excellent idea of how high a priority to put on reading the rest.

   
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