Are you successful because of your own efforts or was it mostly luck? How much does each component (luck, skill) contribute to your success? If your success is

Are you successful because of your own efforts or was it mostly luck? How much does each component (luck, skill) contribute to your success? If your success is based even somewhat on luck, then is society entitled to take (through inheritance and income taxes) some of your gained wealth and redistribute it? Why (not)? Should lotteries be abolished because they reflect pure luck only? Should the government confiscate all but a bit of the earnings? (I know, they already do, but let's argue the justification!) This should initiate a long discussion here, with vociferous objections from the "I did it all myself - it wasn't luck!" crowd of entrepreneurs. Somewhat in opposition, the article also ties (but only somewhat) into Obama's "You didn't build that..." oratory: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/06/study-shows-obamas-right-you-didnt-build-that.html http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/06/study-shows-oba... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_didn't_build_that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_didn't_build_that Also relevant reading is "The luck factor: fortune’s role in our lives" By Jonathan Derbyshire http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3b73bf58-079f-11e6-9b51-0fb5e65703ce.html http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3b73bf58-079f-11e6-9b51-0fb5e65703... Google cached copy at http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:CxippMynMjYJ:http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3b73bf58-079f-11e6-9b51-0fb5e65703ce.html%2Bfortune's+role+in+our+lives&hl=en&gbv=1&ct=clnk http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:CxippMy... Of course, Nicholas Taleb's "Fooled By Randomness" awaits you.