Robert J. Hartman is a contemporary analytic philosopher working primarily in moral philosophy, with a focus on moral luck, desert, and moral responsibility. He is known for defending the view that luck frequently and legitimately affects praiseworthiness and blameworthiness, challenging strong desert-based intuitions in ethics. His work engages questions about what agents can be fairly held responsible for given the pervasive influence of factors beyond their control.
Authored 'In Defense of Moral Luck: Why Luck Often Affects Praiseworthiness and Blameworthiness' (2017)
Developed arguments undermining luck-insensitive desert claims in distributive and retributive ethics
Contributed to debates on the relationship between moral luck, control, and just distribution
Applied moral luck theory to challenge libertarian and desert-based objections to redistribution
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