Browsing by Subject "Ethics in literature."
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Item Iris Murdoch's genealogy of the modern self : retrieving consciousness beyond the linguistic turn.(2008-10-15T14:00:23Z) Jordan, Jessy E.G.; Moore, Scott Hunter.; Philosophy.; Baylor University. Dept. of Philosophy.In this dissertation I argue that Murdoch’s philosophical-ethical project is best understood as an anti-Enlightenment genealogical narrative. I maintain that her work consistently displays four fundamental features that typify genealogical accounts: 1) liberation (i.e., subversion) from a dominant philosophical picture; 2) restoration of a previous philosophical picture wrongly dismissed; 3) restoration of practices no longer intelligible on the dominant view; and 4) recovery of an alternative grammar at odds with the dominant philosophical discourse. The dominant philosophical picture Murdoch subverts is the eclipse of consciousness wrought by both the Anglo-analytic and Continental-existentialist traditions. Whether effaced by totalizing linguistic structures or identified with an empty choosing will, Murdoch argues that the forces present within her philosophical context are fundamentally hostile to an adequate conception of consciousness. Her genealogical project attempts to reassert the primacy of consciousness within this antagonistic climate by restoring a Platonic, erotic conception of consciousness. Additionally, Murdoch insists that consciousness is the fundamental form of moral being and that moral transformation, including the practices for that transformation, cannot be understood without a thick conception of consciousness. Murdoch’s account, therefore, refocuses our attention on important practices or techniques of moral purification rendered unintelligible on the dominant view. Finally, Murdoch recovers the Platonic metaphor of the Good, including the conceptual array in which the Good receives its meaning, in an attempt to develop an alternative grammar fit for the task of picturing the complexities and nuances of our ethical situation. I conclude by commenting on both the promising and problematic aspects of Murdoch’s legacy.Item La búsqueda de los valores perdidos en el cuento latinoamericano contemporáneo.(2008-06-11T18:21:51Z) Smith, Genesis.; García-Corales, Guillermo.; Spanish.; Baylor University. Dept. of Modern Foreign Languages.Through the lens of ethical criticism, the ideas of the Russian cultural theorist Mikhail Bahktin, and the assertions of the Spanish psychiatrist Enrique Rojas, this thesis examines the search for values in four Latin American short stories, “Luvina” (Juan Rulfo), “La prodigiosa tarde de Baltazar” (Gabriel García Márquez), “Érase una vez, en un supermercado muy lejano” (Darío Oses) and “El nuevo" (David Toscana). The present analysis reveals that the individual’s deep desire for significance and a unique impact on society influences one’s daily choices for acting in relationship with others. Only through intentionally and deliberately serving others (true love) and clinging tightly to those dreams which may seem impossible (real faith), will one live purposefully despite adverse circumstances. By contrast passivity and coldness towards others results in a futile cycle of failure and cowardice.