1 min read Notes

Fiction and Morals

When I was a kid, I read a ton of science fiction and fantasy. The characters usually weren't morally complex. There was a good side and a bad side, and the decisions usually weren't morally ambiguous.  I think I got my morals from reading these tales.  

Where do others get their morals from? From parents or other role models?  I wonder if fictional characters are better role models.  The problem is that the morals are presented in unrealistic scenarios.  The good side is that there is certainty in your decision-making.

I wonder if having fictional characters is a method to deal with mimetic desire.  You can't get rid of mimetic desire, so what if the focus is a fictional character? Would you only mime good traits?

Perhaps this is the function of religion?

Published by:

Chris Wong

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