Enjoy a sample paragraph from my first paper written for Problems of Philosophy:
Decision making is a process that many of us struggle with. Faced with the uncertainty of what may result from our choices, humans, in general, tend to stay within their comfort zones. Day to day decisions are made with little to no thought; the certainty that follows repetition provides us with a sense of safety and comfort. When forced to confront something new, however, it’s often in the struggle of decision making that we face the most challenge. Because of this phenomenon, those of us with distinctly sophisticated decision making skills are often praised. Confident and smooth decisions are treated with reverence in society—these decisions usually result in meaningful and intended outcomes. Comparatively, those of us who make “poor” decisions are often reprimanded. If we do something that results in a bad outcome, our reputation is tarnished. To what extent do we owe these outcomes to the effectuator, though? Moral luck—a theory describing the uncertainty of our choices—draws this into question. If every action has outcomes out of our control, to what degree can we take moral responsibility? Depending on how moral luck is viewed, society as we know it could change. The undertaking of responsibility could involve not only outcomes, but choices as well.
