Repository | Journal | Volume | Article

235818

Luck and interests

Nathan Ballantyne

pp. 319-334

Abstract

Recent work on the nature of luck widely endorses the thesis that an event is good or bad luck for an individual only if it is significant for that individual. In this paper, I explore this thesis, showing that it raises questions about interests, well-being, and the philosophical uses of luck. In Sect. 1, I examine several accounts of significance, due to Pritchard (2005), Coffman (2007), and Rescher (1995). Then in Sect. 2 I consider what some theorists want to ‘do’ with luck, taking important examples from epistemology (explaining Gettier-style examples) and political philosophy (offering a rationale for the just distribution of resources in society), while suggesting implications for significance. Drawing together lessons from Sects. 1 and 2, I develop a new account of significance in Sect. 3 before concluding with reflections on the debate in Sect. 4.

Publication details

Published in:

Gal Ofer, Chen-Morris Raz (2012) Seeing the causes. Synthese 185 (3).

Pages: 319-334

DOI: 10.1007/s11229-010-9747-x

Full citation:

Ballantyne Nathan (2012) „Luck and interests“. Synthese 185 (3), 319–334.