Luck: The Brilliant Randomness of Everyday Life

This book, by a former President of the American Philosophical Association, could be viewed as an unusually erudite blog or as an unusually reader-friendly monograph. It's a wide-ranging discussion of just about every aspect of luck that you can imagine. Everything he says is reasonable, though by using only hypothetical examples to illustrates his points, it often seems to resemble fiction more than everyday life ("the burglar who breaks into a house just before its owner returns well-armed from a bear hunt ...."). He gives an interesting classification of (un)lucky events into windfalls, lost opportunities, accidents, narrow escapes, coincidences, consequence-laden mistakes in identification, fortuitous encounters, and anomalies. (After looking at real-life examples I would add two more categories: other people's actions having (un)favorable consequences for you; once-in-a-lifetime deliberate risk-taking that works out well or badly). His bottom line precepts (be realistic in judgements; be realistic in expectations; be prudently adventuresome; be cautiously optimistic) are unarguably good advice -- but hardly count as novel insight. Brief chapters on history (Gataker (1600s) on when drawing lots is theologically permissible) and morality are more professional in tone. Overall, the book contains extensive rational discussion which, while not getting anywhere in particular, provides starting points for possible explorations of more concrete aspects of luck.

We live in a world where our aims and goals, our "best-laid plans," and, indeed, our very lives are at the mercy of fortuitous chance and inscrutable contingency." Nicholas Rescher has written a book on luck that makes me feel lucky to have a dictionary close at hand. Conceptual analysis takes this topic to an entirely new level as we discover a "philosophy of luck." I almost imagined this book would have seven chapters, but there are definitely nine: Enigmas of Chance Failures and Foresight The Different Faces of Luck An Infinity of Accidents Visions of Sugarplums The Philosophers of Gambling The Musings of Moralists Can the Tiger Be Tamed? Life in a Halfway House. I have always been taught that there is no such thing as luck all while finding that there are many people who do seem "luckier" than others. Is this due to the correct choices they made or are they really just "lucky?" Nicholas Rescher has an interest in the human condition and begins his book with a rather startling story, which we would not necessarily consider to have anything to do with luck, although a city is saved by "clouds." Why is life so unfair for some and so nurturing for others? How is luck expressed in other languages and why is it that no European language has a single-word expression for "a piece of good luck." What is the difference between being unfortunate and unlucky? Is bad luck ever lucky and can luck thrive on vulnerability? After delving into the meaning of words, Nicholas Rescher delves into mythology, Epicurean philosophy, physics, historical predictability, superstition and iconography. Occasionally he throws in casual, yet humorous comments, like one about how we are probably "lucky" just to be alive, considering the hazards of life itself. After my favorite cat suddenly got sick and died on the last Friday the 13th, I have started to wonder about the luck of cats on Friday the 13th. Although, our vet said that he had an underlying condition, which suddenly emerged and life can definitely feel "unlucky." Needless to say, feeling unlucky can make one rather angry or you can try to flow with life's challenges. Is it really "luck" that causes us to meet someone or read a book or watch a movie? Or, are we sending out thoughts into the universe and creating our own realities. Does "luck" have more to do with our own decisions or with a random ubiquitous force? I did like the idea on page 22 where the author explores the possibilities of putting yourself in luck's way. As he says, you will never win the lottery if you fail to obtain a ticket. Even though I think most would be luckier if they chose to invest the money they were spending on the lottery tickets. His ideas about how relying on luck courts disaster seemed very logical. All I am left thinking is "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?" My husband knows exactly how to say this and makes me laugh every time he remembers how Clint Eastwood say

The author explains why luck is an inescapable ingredient in human life. He makes clear that this random ingredient is essential if we are to conceive of ourselves as having free will. He eases concerns that bad luck is somehow the result of lack of worthiness and verifies that good luck often is experienced by unsavory people. He establishes that, by its very nature, luck is not controlled by other characteristics or occurrences of our lives, but there are things we can do to fully benefit from the good luck that we do have.

Rescher's book is a most readable conceptual framework on the role of randomness in our everyday life. Things suchs as destiny, fate and risk are dealt in an clear and elegant fashion. The fact that the book was written by an eminent philosopher does not preclude reading by the layman. On the contrary, the author relates all conceptual framework to aspects of our everyday life.Furthermore there is a sense of humour that permeates the whole text. The book is a must for those bewildered by the curious ways a life may evolve.

How much can be said about luck's role in our lives, aside from the fact that it is all-encompassing? The answer, author Rescher shows us, is plenty indeed. Take Rescher's illustration of the connection between luck and morality, for instance. Suppose a young man burglarizes the home of his grandfather. However, on the night of the theft, the grandfather passes away, bequeathing all of his worldly possessions to his grandson. Is the grandson guilty of a crime? Legally, no. Through the intervention of luck, he was merely stealing -- relocating! -- his own belongings. And yet in his mind he was up to something very nefarious indeed. Rescher's narrative, while mildly academic in tone, brims with the engaging and imaginative scenario-spinning that is a brilliant philosopher's forte (Rescher is a distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh.) Whether he's writing about luck's role in war, finance, sports, Vegas, love, or death, Rescher, with this book, shows us how fascinating a learned philosophical reverie can be. LUCK is heartily recommended to readers whose intellects permit them to look beyond the notion, "Luck -- either you have it or you don't."