Print Email Facebook Twitter Scientists’ views on (moral) luck Title Scientists’ views on (moral) luck Author Sand, M. (TU Delft Ethics & Philosophy of Technology) Jongsma, Karin (University Medical Center Utrecht) Date 2020 Abstract Scientific discoveries are often to some degree influenced by luck. Whether luck’s influence is at odds with common-sense intuitions about responsibility, is the central concern of the philosophical debate about moral luck. Do scientists acknowledge that luck plays a role in their work and–if so–do they consider it morally problematic? The present article discusses the results of four focus groups with scientists, who were asked about their views on luck in their fields and its moral implications. The participants underscored circumstantial luck as a key dimension of luck in science. Nevertheless, most participants insisted that there are ways of executing ‘control’ in science: They believe that virtues and skills can increase one’s chances for success. The cultivation of these skills and virtues was considered a reasonable ground for pride. Prizes and rewards were rarely tied to personal desert, but instead to their societal function. Subject controlMoral luckqualitative researchRRIserendipity To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:2b555e2c-45c0-4582-8bb8-acd35dde1c2e DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/23299460.2020.1799623 ISSN 2329-9460 Source Journal of Responsible Innovation, 7 (S2), S64-S85 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2020 M. Sand, Karin Jongsma Files PDF Scientists_views_on_moral_luck.pdf 2.16 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:2b555e2c-45c0-4582-8bb8-acd35dde1c2e/datastream/OBJ/view