Under Control

Nagel states that "nothing or almost nothing about what a person does seems to be under his control" and also goes on to state that "our believes are always, due to factors outside our control, and the impossibility of encompassing those factors without being at the mercy of others, leads us to doubt whther we know anything."

I find it curious that Nagel simply accepts these broad assertions that he makes as fact. True, they may be factual in the present way human society is structured, but his acceptance of the idea that our moral character, judgment, and knowledge are all outside of our control, I feel is an acceptance of the status quo and in truth, defeat.

However, Nagel does state many things of worth and in particular, I found his assessment on page 28 to be quite good. He details constitutive luck - "the kind of person you are, where this is not just a quesiton of what you deliberately do, but of your inclinations, capacities, and temperment. Another category of luck is one's circumstances - the kind of problems and situations one faces." I find both of these versions of luck to be highly interesting and involved in the shaping and judgment of one's moral character. If treating these statements as truths, I think it would immediately point to the community (from the nuclear family to the town, city, country, government) where the individual takes on these inclinations, capacities, and temperment; as well as the problems and situations which one faces, which are also directly related to the environment that surroundst he individual.

Believing that, one would logically follow with an idea on how to limit the harm and morally degrading situations and problems, and how to construct a society where the inclinations, capacities, and temperments, as they are highly subject to the environment and things beyond our control, are elevated beyond thier current inadequate states. That would be taking more control over the human condition, done with good will, and presumably if done correctly, good outcomes. I would think that this type of work would still be considered ethics, for it concerns producing the most right conduct and especially good human life, but unfortunately, it is not touched upon as perhaps it should be.