act only in their best interests will lead to euphoria contained inside of a utopia. Scanlan, in his analysis of Notes, vehemently criticizes this flawed philosophy because he argues that Dostoyevsky, through the creation of such a character who emphasizes his unconstrained free will as his moral superiority, effectively refutes the solely moral or scientific stance on the human condition.
Through his in-depth study of the underground man, Scanlan argues that the actions in the best interest of man are perpetrated through implementing his sweet free will, and not as a consequence of evolution or society as he states that, “Man, whoever he might be, has always and everywhere liked to act as he wants and not at all as reason and advantage dictate; One’s own free and voluntary …show more content…
Yet, he contemplates into oblivion. In the conclusion of Notes from the Underground, the underground man chooses suffering over satisfaction, and authenticity over the offer of selfless love. Life would have been mechanic for the underground man if his issues were resolved. Similarly, Samsa breathes his last as a result of being denied selfless love, compassion, and empathy, leaving the reader wanton for a definite conclusion.
Crowell also proposes that consciousness is the only entity that is “radically free,” and writes that human beings are “condemned to be free” (12). He goes on to affirm that one can never just be, as he says, “characteristic of the existentialist outlook is the idea that we spend much of lives devising strategies for denying or evading the anguish of freedom” through bad faith and the appeal to values (14). The underground man’s free will empowers him to do as he pleased, which purposefully cripples him at times, supporting Crowell’s view. It also elucidates the ineffectuality of utilitarianism, as well as the need for a structured moral code to promote individual and societal
Through his in-depth study of the underground man, Scanlan argues that the actions in the best interest of man are perpetrated through implementing his sweet free will, and not as a consequence of evolution or society as he states that, “Man, whoever he might be, has always and everywhere liked to act as he wants and not at all as reason and advantage dictate; One’s own free and voluntary …show more content…
Yet, he contemplates into oblivion. In the conclusion of Notes from the Underground, the underground man chooses suffering over satisfaction, and authenticity over the offer of selfless love. Life would have been mechanic for the underground man if his issues were resolved. Similarly, Samsa breathes his last as a result of being denied selfless love, compassion, and empathy, leaving the reader wanton for a definite conclusion.
Crowell also proposes that consciousness is the only entity that is “radically free,” and writes that human beings are “condemned to be free” (12). He goes on to affirm that one can never just be, as he says, “characteristic of the existentialist outlook is the idea that we spend much of lives devising strategies for denying or evading the anguish of freedom” through bad faith and the appeal to values (14). The underground man’s free will empowers him to do as he pleased, which purposefully cripples him at times, supporting Crowell’s view. It also elucidates the ineffectuality of utilitarianism, as well as the need for a structured moral code to promote individual and societal