Term Paper on "Applying Kant's Theory to a Specific Decision in Elliot's Middlemarch, Chapter 48"

Term Paper 4 pages (1402 words) Sources: 2 Style: APA

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Applying Kant's theory to a specific descion form Middlemarch: Chapter 48, G.Elliot

The Metaphysics of Morals in Middlemarch

Immanuel Kant's metaphysics of morals established a close connection between the reasoning faculty which is proper only to human beings and the ability to act morally. Kant based his ethical theory on a famous concept which represented the standard of moral action: the categorical imperative. In Kant's view, the morality of an action can be established through logical argument, thus demonstrating that reason is the foremost faculty of man and the locus of virtue. A very interesting case for decision making and moral action is presented in chapter forty-eight of Middlemarch. Here, Dorothea is confronted with an extremely arduous choice: she is peremptorily urged by her husband to make the promise of acting in a certain way that is dictated by him, after his death. The decision is even more complicated as Casaubon does not reveal the actual nature of his request. The context of the decision is also significant as Dorothea has to perform with difficulty a number of duties in her marriage, all of them keeping her yoked to the philosophical work done by her husband. The moral conduit of Dorothea is apparent in the sincerity and devotion with which she performs her marital duties that nevertheless exceed what would normally be required of a wife. She does not genuinely love her husband yet she confers on him a dutiful affection. She does not believe in his work, yet she helps him by reading aloud to him, highlighting his readings with a pencil and assisting him in every other way possible. When she is faced with the unwonted request of an obscure but firm promise, Dorothea spends a whole night in searching for the right answer to the moral dilemma she is faced with. She suffers from terrible qualms as she wavers between committing herself to her husband's wish or refusing his request. During this process, it is obvious both for Dorothea and for the reader that the decision was actually resolved from the moment the request was made: Dorothea torments herself over the decision, spending a sleepless night, but she is inwardly aware that she is unable to say no. She is bound by compassion and humaneness to grant the wish of her husband, since he is helpless and distressed. She knows very well that the work he does is absolutely vital to him, and in refusing to get involved with it she would crush his hopes and wound him terribly. Nevertheless, she does not give her consent freely merely because she feels that her freedom as an individual is threatened by this commitment. Furthermore, Dorothea sees the futility of her husband's intellectual work and feels a natural repulse towards dedicating her life to such an empty prospect. Thus, although she honorably makes the decision instantly and is aware that she is incapable of refusing him, she defers her answer because she is unnaturally compelled to devote herself to an inutile purpose. Dorothea thus knows that she is morally bound to do her duty and knows that she could not do otherwise. Nevertheless, her hesitation is giving the terrible promise is understandable and to a certain degree even laudable: her good nature prompts her to be repelled by something that is useless and irrelevant as such.

In a similar situation I would probably act the same way as Dorothea did, because I would find it very difficult to accept the burden of causing an extreme distress to someone. However, I would feel equally distressed since I would be bound to serve a purpose I did not believe in.

Kant's categorical imperative offers a very interesting perspective on Dorothea's difficult situation. Thus, according to the first formulation of this principle, an action is moral if its scope could be extended and made into a moral law that would not contradict itself at any point. The close connection between morality and logical reasoning is apparent here: in Kant's view, a moral law is true if it can be verified as a universal law.. The first formulation of the categorical principle thus requires that one should act only in accordance to laws that… READ MORE

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