Philosophy
Moral Luck and the Asymmetry of Praise and Blame
Quick fact
Philosophers note a striking asymmetry: we strongly blame a negligent driver who kills a pedestrian, but we rarely praise an equally negligent driver who happens not to hit anyone. Similarly, an attempted murder is punished less severely than a completed murder, even if the difference is pure luck.
Why this is interesting
You've probably heard of 'moral luck'—but why do we blame someone for a harm that could just as easily not have happened, while we rarely praise them for avoiding it? Why does the driver who hits a child face outrage, while the equally reckless driver who gets home safely is just lucky?