The Nature of a Meaningful Life
Thomas Mann's Mario and the Magician is about a family who took a vacation in one of the beaches in Italy. For the purposes of this paper, the nature of a meaningful life will be analyzed based on the article, with Kant and Mill as sources to defend such analysis.
Desires, Emotions, and Moral Choices
Kant believed that desires and emotions do not play an essential role with how a person rejects or embraces morality (Kant, Abbott & Denis, 2005). In fact, morality should not be influenced with desires and emotions because in itself, morality is a sense of duty. As such, actions which are guided by morality do not seek for rewards but instead, such actions seek to fulfill a duty, which should be considered …show more content…
As discussed above, the narrator observed the legalistic attitude of the people in Italy. When her daughter ran down to the beach naked, they were criminally charged not only for violating the public bathing regulations, but also, they were accused of offending the honor of Italy. Although this conforms to Kant's morality as a sense of duty, the people's legalistic view is stained with Cipolla's shocking business. Cipolla was not only portrayed as someone who practiced some elements of the occult, but he was considered as a tyrant and diabolical for his evil assaults of magic. Considerably, Cipolla's desires do not justify his disregard of moral choices. It is worthy to note that, Cipolla, as a magician, controlled the emotions and movements of the people that is why the latter is easily succumbed to his will. Worse, with such control, Cipolla manipulated, mortified, and mocked his audience. Cipolla's action is a violation of Mill and Kant's ethical theories. For Kant, morality should be a sense of duty. Cipolla did not show any morality because of how he treated his audience. For Mill, a person's actions should result to happiness and harmony. However, Cipolla's action did not result to happiness and harmony because of his use of peculiar …show more content…
In addition, a meaningful life guides a person to make positive contributions, “not only to our personal and spiritual growth, but also to society and the human civilization as a whole” (Ratson, 2016). This definition of a meaningful life is not seen with Thomas Mann’s Mario and the Magician. Most often than not, people with legalistic attitudes are those who wanted to fulfill a sense of duty in one aspect, but tolerates peculiar evilness in another sense. Although this should not be regarded as a hasty generalization, the narrator’s experience proves that in certain instances, morality is associated with hypocrisy. Hypocrisy comes in because while legalistic people reacted to her daughter’s action, they also patronized the magic show of Cipolla which used mockery, manipulation and mortification. Furthermore, upholding morality is not evident with how Cipolla used magic since his actions resulted to his audience’s mockery, mortification, and manipulation. In addition, Cipolla’s actions do not contribute with him living a meaningful
Thomas Mann's Mario and the Magician is about a family who took a vacation in one of the beaches in Italy. For the purposes of this paper, the nature of a meaningful life will be analyzed based on the article, with Kant and Mill as sources to defend such analysis.
Desires, Emotions, and Moral Choices
Kant believed that desires and emotions do not play an essential role with how a person rejects or embraces morality (Kant, Abbott & Denis, 2005). In fact, morality should not be influenced with desires and emotions because in itself, morality is a sense of duty. As such, actions which are guided by morality do not seek for rewards but instead, such actions seek to fulfill a duty, which should be considered …show more content…
As discussed above, the narrator observed the legalistic attitude of the people in Italy. When her daughter ran down to the beach naked, they were criminally charged not only for violating the public bathing regulations, but also, they were accused of offending the honor of Italy. Although this conforms to Kant's morality as a sense of duty, the people's legalistic view is stained with Cipolla's shocking business. Cipolla was not only portrayed as someone who practiced some elements of the occult, but he was considered as a tyrant and diabolical for his evil assaults of magic. Considerably, Cipolla's desires do not justify his disregard of moral choices. It is worthy to note that, Cipolla, as a magician, controlled the emotions and movements of the people that is why the latter is easily succumbed to his will. Worse, with such control, Cipolla manipulated, mortified, and mocked his audience. Cipolla's action is a violation of Mill and Kant's ethical theories. For Kant, morality should be a sense of duty. Cipolla did not show any morality because of how he treated his audience. For Mill, a person's actions should result to happiness and harmony. However, Cipolla's action did not result to happiness and harmony because of his use of peculiar …show more content…
In addition, a meaningful life guides a person to make positive contributions, “not only to our personal and spiritual growth, but also to society and the human civilization as a whole” (Ratson, 2016). This definition of a meaningful life is not seen with Thomas Mann’s Mario and the Magician. Most often than not, people with legalistic attitudes are those who wanted to fulfill a sense of duty in one aspect, but tolerates peculiar evilness in another sense. Although this should not be regarded as a hasty generalization, the narrator’s experience proves that in certain instances, morality is associated with hypocrisy. Hypocrisy comes in because while legalistic people reacted to her daughter’s action, they also patronized the magic show of Cipolla which used mockery, manipulation and mortification. Furthermore, upholding morality is not evident with how Cipolla used magic since his actions resulted to his audience’s mockery, mortification, and manipulation. In addition, Cipolla’s actions do not contribute with him living a meaningful