My first book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame, is available for purchase in paperback and kindle formats. The book defends the justice of moral praise and blame of persons using an Aristotelian theory of moral responsibility, thereby refuting Thomas Nagel's "problem of moral luck." It's an academic work but accessible to anyone with an interest in philosophy.

Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame
By Diana Brickell

About Responsibility & Luck

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 Brickell 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, she 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.


Purchase the Book

You can purchase Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame as a paperback or kindle ebook.

Paperback Kindle

Currently, Amazon sells the paperback of Responsibility & Luck for just over $17. Or you can always opt for the Kindle version for $9.99. If you buy the paperback from Amazon, you can purchase the Kindle version from Amazon for just $1 more. If you're from outside the United States, check your country's Amazon site, as the book might be available from there directly.

Like every author, I depend on good reviews of the book on Amazon, social media, and elsewhere. So once you've read Responsibility & Luck, please review it! You can review the paperback edition or the Kindle edition on Amazon. You can also recommend Responsibility & Luck on Facebook and Twitter using these links:



Preview Chapters

Chapter One introduces Thomas Nagel's problem of moral luck, then surveys the three major types of moral luck – resultant moral luck, circumstantial moral luck, and constitutive moral luck. The problem of moral luck is not merely some small problem in ethics. It threatens to undermine any and all moral praise and blame of persons. It also provides the foundation for John Rawls' arguments for an egalitarian political order. This chapter concludes by surveying the book as a whole, chapter by chapter.

View or download the PDF of Chapter One.


Chapter One on Audio: I read Chapter One for Philosophy in Action Radio on 15 November 2013. Listen or download here:


Chapter Three critically examines Thomas Nagel's concept of "control," so crucial to his case for the existence of moral luck. Nagel claims that his view of control is the "intuitively plausible" condition for moral responsibility. Yet in fact, Nagel's view of control is unrealistic and impossibly strict. A few commentators on the problem of moral luck have noticed that problem, yet none made good use of it. To do so, a theory of moral judgment and moral responsibility must be developed from scratch, as is done in Chapters Four and Five.

View or download the PDF of Chapter Three.


Contents in Detail lists the page numbers for each chapter and its sections. This listing shows the structure of the book, as well as topics covered.

View or download the PDF of the Contents in Detail.


Podcasts on the Book

In a still-ongoing series of podcasts, Diana Brickell discusses Responsibility & Luck, chapter-by-chapter. In each podcast, she explains the main ideas of that chapter, discusses fresh examples, considers further implications, raises objections, and more.


About the Author

Diana Brickell received her Ph.D. in philosophy in 2009 from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She now focuses on the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. Her radio show, Philosophy in Action Radio, can be heard via live stream or as a podcast. Past shows and other work can be found at PhilosophyInAction.com.

The cover and interior of the book were designed by Tori Press of Red Queen Design Studio.


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