Many actions we perform affect the chances of fulfilling our moral obligations. The moral status of such actions is important and deeply neglected. In this paper, I begin rectifying this neglect by asking: under what conditions, if any, is it morally wrong to perform an action that will lower the chance of one fulfilling a moral obligation? In §1, I introduce this question and motivate concern with its answer. I argue, in §2, that certain actions an agent has good reason to believe will drastically lower their chances of fulfilling a moral obligation in the future, relative to at least one alternative action available, are pro tanto morally wrong. This answer, I argue, captures our intuitions in a range of cases, avoids the problems that other views considered here face, and can be plausibly defended against some independent objections. I conclude in §3 by noting some consequences for normative and practical ethics of the moral wrongness of at least some actions that lower the chances of fulfilling our moral obligations, and by raising a series of important questions regarding these actions for future consideration.

中文翻译：

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论道德义务和我们履行它们的机会

我们所做的许多行为都会影响我们履行道德义务的机会。此类行为的道德地位很重要，但被严重忽视。在这篇论文中，我首先要纠正这种忽视：在什么情况下，如果有的话，采取会降低一个人履行道德义务的机会的行为在道德上是错误的？在 §1 中，我介绍了这个问题，并引起了人们对其答案的关注。我在 §2 中认为，与至少一种可用的替代行为相比，代理人有充分理由相信某些行为会大大降低他们未来履行道德义务的机会，这在道德上是错误的。我认为，这个答案在一系列案例中捕捉了我们的直觉，避免了这里考虑的其他观点面临的问题，并且可以合理地为一些独立的反对意见辩护。