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The morality of fictional universes is dictated by how the author constructs the options which their characters might choose. When the characters reflect on the
by myWindoonn 6y ago
The morality of fictional universes is dictated by how the author constructs the options which their characters might choose. When the characters reflect on their choices and consider the effects of their actions, then they exhibit morality.
- Smaug123 6y agoI think you've missed the point of the article, which is that authors usually construct the options in such a way that the morality thereby displayed is ultimately an easy and comfortable one for the reader. The article is a paean to fiction that is uncomfortable and therefore capable of helping us push at the boundaries of our increasingly outdated ideas of morality.
- myWindoonn 6y agoThe author and I have different definitions of morality. To the author, morality is only available for humans. However, I subscribe to Pirsig's morality, which means that I believe that atoms are moral too: Their morality is the laws of chemistry. Viewed this way, the typical human is exhorted to "do what they want" (Pirsig's MoQ [0]) or "do what they will" (Discordianism) and the morals which the author is discussing are arbitrary cultural artifacts. Of course, however, Pirsig's morality is neither easy nor comfortable, because it is the morality of pragmatists. To choose to do something is to choose for the effects of what one has done to be real in the world. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirsig's_Metaphysics_of_Quality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirsig's_Metaphysics_of_Qualit...