Abstract

The issue of human vulnerability has loomed in the background of numerous philosophical discussions of character and responsibility in recent years. The revival of interest in Aristotle and the virtues renewed interest in Greek tragedy in philosophical circles, and resulting speculations about the fragility of life and character have inevitably chafed against Kantian aspirations to protect us against “moral luck.” Most recently, the resurgence of interest in Stoicism manifests a concern with the question of whether the best human lives and character must be vulnerable, or whether we might somehow render ourselves impervious to the forms of profound disintegration, disappointment, and corruption that can tear people apart at the moral seams. Ultimately, this most basic question must matter to anyone genuinely concerned about life. If there is some way to protect ourselves from the worst life has to offer, surely we should learn how to find such a shield.