moralhod Morality in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness...

Morality in The Heart of Darkness I trust I shall be forgiven the discovery that all moral philosophy hitherto was boring and belonged among the soporifics (Nietzsche 561). Maybe so, but the issue of moral philosophy has been discussed though out time and provides a significant element in Conrads story Heart of Darkness. In general, the timeless discussion traces back to the first philosophical writings of Plato and transcends from general religious grounds to general applications and codes of behavior espoused by Kant and Mills. These individuals and lines of thought try to establish a good code of behavior based on something: a benevolent god, extensible codes similar to The Golden Rule, or even relativistic†¦show more content†¦His argument is basically this: if God is omnibenelovent, omniscient and omnipotent then either evil does not exist, or, if it does, it is not really evil. Milton lays the groundwork definitions, aligning the parties in his illustrative argument early. If then his providence / Out of our evil to bring forth good, Our labor must be to pervert that end, / and out of good still to find means of evil (Milton I: 162-165). The word his refers to God and relates the word good with him, and relates Satan to the word evil. The justifications for these labels are more implied than anything else, based in the relationship of the Christian God, and thus the Bible and the actions and motivations displayed by Satan. He becomes tied to ... deep malice to conceal, couched with revenge (Milton IV: 123) and ... ire envy and despair (Milton IV: 115). Thus, good is implicitly the opposite of that: kindness with forgiveness, pleasure and joy. Miltons argument follows a path of self-discovery, illustrates a sympathetic character and describes his internal conflict and resulting horror of his situation. Mainly that he cannot ask for forgiveness and is thus locked into downward spiral between the reality of the situation, the expectations of his cohorts, and his own pers onal motivations. In the end, his actionsShow MoreRelated moralhod Relative Morality in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness1511 Words   |  7 PagesRelative Morality in Heart of Darkness      Ã‚  Ã‚   It has been well documented by critics that modernist literature departs from the blind acceptance of beliefs, religious beliefs in particular, evident in literature of prior periods (Abrams 1).   As Jump notes [...] the modern western world is less sure of its values than most previous cultures with which we are familiar; relativism and subjectivity are facts of everyday experience (15).   Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness is no exception