Verified Document

Morality In The Magus Probably Essay

That is, I finally assumed my Greekness… I saw that I was the only person left in that square who had the freedom left to choose…" The very importance that Conchis attaches to this type of morality and freedom of choice, even to the detriment of his own life, is in itself subjective and reactionary. After being forced to witness the full horror of what the German morality was capable of, Conchis found himself driven to ultimately resist it, regardless of its consequences. It is a type of ethics that refuses to accept as true anything beyond its own reason and paradigms. This is also true of the decision-making process at the basis of Colonel Wimmel's moral actions, questionable though they may be.

Colonel Wimmel subscribes to the collective ethical subjectivism of the Nazi German paradigm. This is summed up in the Conchis's criticism (p. 393):

"One of the great fallacies of our time is that the Nazis rose to power because they imposed order on chaos. Precisely the opposite is true -- they were successful because they imposed chaos on order. They tore up the commandments, they denied the superego…"

The Nazi belief in their cause was based upon a collective belief in the reality of their order. Indeed, Wimmel himself claims the reasons for his atrocious actions as being based upon his nature as a "realist" (p. 388). Later he notes that nothing is more important to him than the order he perceives as the highest purpose of his existence and his actions. This, along with the clear fallacy of the belief, is a typically subjectivist belief system.

It is the extremity and strength of this belief that temporarily drove Conchis to the belief that he had not choice. When collective subjectivism imposes itself upon the individual, the individual morality can be influenced to such an extent that it changes the individual's own moral system, whether this is subjectivist or...

Parts of this document are hidden

View Full Document
svg-one

When Conchis reverts to his "Greekness," he simply exchanges one subjectivist morality for another.
On the other hand, there is also some indication of the utilitarian ethical decision making process in the narrative. Utilitarianism concerns the drive to create the greatest good for the greatest number of persons involved. For the most part of the narrative, Conchis is not greatly concerned with creating the good for the most persons possible. Indeed, his decision making is decidedly individualistic and narrow. However, when Wimmel forces him to make a decision regarding the murder of the two hostages, there is a brief consideration of utilitarianism. Indeed, Conchis compares various possible outcomes during his decision-making process. Murdering the two men would save the most lives; this would be the most utilitarian decision to make. He briefly compares this with the possibility of murdering Wimmel instead, but quickly discards this as the greater of the two evils, as the whole village would probably pay with their lives.

Wimmel's final decision, in the light of the fresh horror of having to beat the men to death, is based upon the subjectivism of his chosen Greek morality; the collective morality of resistance.

In conclusion, utilitarian ethics only plays a small part in the narrative, and never fully culminates in a decision. All of Conchis's decisions are based upon ethical subjectivism, whether as a reaction to the Nazis and their imposed ethics, or as a personal decision to change the basis for his decision-making process. The process itself remains subjective in the light of a perceived truth, regardless of consequence. The same is true for Wimmel, his army, and their decision-making processes. People are tortured and maimed to further the Nazi cause, for what they believe to be an imposition of order. All the decisions made in the narrative are therefore based upon ethical subjectivism.

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Moral Realism Vs. Moral Relativism Philosophers Have
Words: 1021 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Moral Realism vs. Moral Relativism Philosophers have argued the merits or existence of moral realism and moral relativism for some time. Generally, the argument is designed as an either or proposition, where only one argument can be true. This is not necessarily true when one takes the time to explore what is meant by moral realism vs. moral relativism (Streitfeld). Essentially, moral realism is an objective view while moral realism is

Morality in America Morals Are Defined As
Words: 1068 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Morality in America Morals are defined as a set of principles of right action and behavior for the individual. The traditional morals of any given society are the set of moral principles by which the majority of its members have lived over a long time, a consensus which that society has reached on what is considered correct and decent behavior. It is the way one's society expectsone to behave, even if

Moral Sentiment Philosophy Morality to Human Sentiment
Words: 784 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Moral Sentiment Philosophy Morality to human sentiment is a unique kind of feeling. It comes about through a kind of perspective-taking that we encounter, via a practice of sympathetic imagination, sentiments belonging to individuals that have been affected by a given action or other evaluation objects. There are two main claims in which Hume's account of moral sentiments rest upon. Firstly, it holds that the source of our normative standards should be found

Moral Dilemmas
Words: 700 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

I would have been thinking about social norms and categorical imperatives in Kohlberg's system -- or about the social value of self-sacrifice in Gilligan's. Instead I made a moral choice that reflects moral maturity: a level of caring that Gilligan would define as postconventional. Whether consciously or not, I was determined to preserve the dignity and promote the well-being of both my friends. I took myself out of the picture.

Moral Philosophy
Words: 2861 Length: 10 Document Type: Research Paper

Moral Philosophy Can desires and feelings be in accordance with or contrary to reason? Are they under the control of, or guided by, reason? Compare, contrast, and critically evaluate the answers of Aristotle and Hume to these questions and their arguments in support of those answers. David Hume is one of the most significant philosophers of the 18th Century. Hume is skeptical about moral truths, and he ascertains that ethics comes from

Moral Relativism Is a Point-Of-View,
Words: 1459 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Then morality is relative, not absolute (Kreeft) Weaknesses One weakness of moral relativism consists of the consequences of not having moral constraints (Kreeft 2003). Correct or good morality, if valid, should always have good consequences. Incorrect or bad morality should always have bad consequences. The fact is that all wrong or immoral acts and attitudes bring on "good" or pleasant feelings. Moral relativism has never produced people worthy of praise. It

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now