Martha Nussbaum"s Upheavals of Thought 1 argues for the discussion of emotions in regards to ethi... more Martha Nussbaum"s Upheavals of Thought 1 argues for the discussion of emotions in regards to ethical behavior. For Nussbaum, these two conceptual subjects cannot be separated. Whereas historical philosophical inquiry typically ignores or decries any dialogue between emotion and ethical judgment, Nussbaum contends that these two are interrelated. Explorations into such perceptions as what makes the good life, what is good and true, and the nature of the world are not to be separated from the subjective; "instead of viewing morality as a system of principles to be grasped by the detached intellect, and emotions as motivations that either support or subvert our choice to act according to principle, we will have to consider emotions as part and parcel of the system of ethical reasoning". 2 Emotions, therefore, are an integral and complex part of an individual"s moral reasoning, ethics, and judgment. There can be no ethical theory without a theory of emotion. Nussbaum divides her tome into three parts. It is Part II that I will mainly be using for this paper. In this part, Nussbaum deconstructs the cognitive elements of compassion. I will then use her systematic inquiry into compassion as a hermeneutic of interpretation of Marilynne Robinson"s Gilead and Home.
Martha Nussbaum"s Upheavals of Thought 1 argues for the discussion of emotions in regards to ethi... more Martha Nussbaum"s Upheavals of Thought 1 argues for the discussion of emotions in regards to ethical behavior. For Nussbaum, these two conceptual subjects cannot be separated. Whereas historical philosophical inquiry typically ignores or decries any dialogue between emotion and ethical judgment, Nussbaum contends that these two are interrelated. Explorations into such perceptions as what makes the good life, what is good and true, and the nature of the world are not to be separated from the subjective; "instead of viewing morality as a system of principles to be grasped by the detached intellect, and emotions as motivations that either support or subvert our choice to act according to principle, we will have to consider emotions as part and parcel of the system of ethical reasoning". 2 Emotions, therefore, are an integral and complex part of an individual"s moral reasoning, ethics, and judgment. There can be no ethical theory without a theory of emotion. Nussbaum divides her tome into three parts. It is Part II that I will mainly be using for this paper. In this part, Nussbaum deconstructs the cognitive elements of compassion. I will then use her systematic inquiry into compassion as a hermeneutic of interpretation of Marilynne Robinson"s Gilead and Home.
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