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My first book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame, is available for purchase in paperback, as well as for Kindle and Nook.

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."

In Responsibility & Luck, I argue 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, I explain the sources and limits of a person's responsibility for what he does, what he produces, and who he is. Ultimately, I show 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.

Responsibility & Luck is scholarly but accessible to active-minded people interested in philosophy. You can preview the book by reading Chapter One and Chapter Three as PDFs – or by listening to my reading of Chapter One.

Question: Is "body acceptance" rational and healthy – or dangerous? Many people are divided on the issue of accepting one's body for whatever it is. Some think that a person should be proud to be "healthy at any size" (or even just a larger-than-average size). Others say that such views perpetuate unhealthy lifestyles and destroy standards of beauty and health, perhaps out of envy. What is a rational view of body acceptance? Is "fat shaming" or "fit shaming" ever acceptable? More generally, what are the boundaries of morally acceptable comments on such matters between acquaintances, friends, and strangers?

Answer, In Brief: The call for "body acceptance" is not about egalitarian hatred of beauty or health. Rather, it's goal is to challenge our culture's focus on outward appearance – rather than health, strength, and skills – by accepting the current state of our body and appreciating its virtues.

Tags: Benevolence, Body Image, Ethics, Fitness, Health, Justice, Shaming

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Question 2: The Reliability of Memory (21:24)

Question: Is memory trustworthy? Memory is often described as being highly fallible and even malleable. Is that true? If so, what are the implications of that for claims about the objectivity and reliability of knowledge? What are the implications for daily life? Should we trust our experiences when we can't be trusted to remember them?

Answer, In Brief: Memory is fallible in various known ways, but that doesn't undermine claims of knowledge. Rather, it's a reason to exercise caution when relying on memory and to use external records.

Tags: Epistemology, Memory, Objectivity, Psychology, Skepticism

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• Download: MP3 Segment (5.4 MB)
• Duration: 15:41

Relevant Links

• Seven Sins of Memory by Daniel Schacter

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Question 3: The Meaning of Induction (37:05)

Question: What does the term "inductive" mean? What is the distinction (if any) between some claim being "inductive" versus (1) ad hoc, (2) non-systematic, (3) disintegrated, (4) anecdotal, and (5) empirical? Basically, what is the proper meaning of the term "inductive"?

Answer, In Brief: Induction is the process of logical inference from more particular to more abstract knowledge. It is essential to all reasoning.

Tags: Epistemology, Induction, Rationality

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• Download: MP3 Segment (2.5 MB)
• Duration: 7:23

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Rapid Fire Questions (44:29)

In this segment, I answered questions chosen at random by Greg Perkins impromptu. The questions were:

• Are strip clubs moral? Should men or women (whether married, dating, or single) frequent them? Is it wrong to work for one?
• Will separating school and state will lead to a more religious, ignorant, and economically poor population?
• What is the value of novelty?
• Have Ayn Rand's claims about concept-formation in "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology" in children been validated by developmental psychology?
• Apart from Ayn Rand and Aristotle, which philosophers have written good and/or interesting works on aesthetics?

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• Download: MP3 Segment (4.9 MB)
• Duration: 14:23

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Conclusion (58:52)

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About Philosophy in Action Radio

I'm Dr. Diana Hsieh. I'm a philosopher specializing the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. I received my Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. My first book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame, is available for purchase in paperback, as well as for Kindle and Nook. 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."

My radio show, Philosophy in Action Radio, broadcasts live over the internet on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. On Sunday mornings, I answer four meaty questions applying rational principles to the challenges of real life in a live hour-long show. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers co-hosts the show. On Wednesday evenings, I interview an expert guest about a topic of practical importance.

If you join us for the live broadcasts, you can ask follow-up questions and make comments in the text-based chat. Otherwise, you can listen to the podcast by subscribing to our Podcast RSS Feed. You can also peruse the show archives, where episodes and questions are sorted by date and by topic.

For regular updates, commentary, and humor, read my blog NoodleFood and subscribe to its Blog RSS Feed. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and connect on social media too.

I can be reached via e-mail to [email protected].

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