Using the Programme Guide of the World
Science Fiction Convention in Helsinki Finland in August 2017 (to which I will
be unable to go (until I retire from education)), I will jump off, jump on,
rail against, and shamelessly agree with the BRIEF DESCRIPTION given in the pdf
copy of the Programme Guide. The link is provided below…
Using Moral
Problems and Dilemmas to Add Depth, Suspense, Character Revelation, and Meaning
to your Story: Moral dilemmas engage readers. Understanding what makes for a
gripping ethical dilemma and the different approaches to resolving them can add
depth and complexity to your characters and your story. In
this workshop you will learn what an ethical dilemma is, how to create one
that is complex and difficult to resolve, diverse approaches to resolving a dilemma
and how to show your character’s attempt to find the most ethical solution to
his/her dilemma, one that will ring true for your readers.
J. A. McLachlan:
Has two College textbooks on Professional Ethics; three published Science
Fiction novels and an Historical Realism novel
So this would be a
mostly discussion class.
The saddest thing
I saw in this is here: “In this workshop you will learn what an ethical dilemma
is…”
That, in a tiny
nutshell, is what I see as the main problem in our political system; our faith
institutions, and in the…sad…pursuit of some people for a system of belief that
will be fulfilling – but totally inclusive of every form of behavior known to
Humans. The ones who insist that NOTHING is wrong (as long as it doesn’t hurt
someone else…My question, “Define ‘hurt’. Define ‘someone else’.” Uh… “YOU
know! Like, hurt!” and the someone else? “The people who agree with me 100%. If
you don’t agree with my every point of view…well, then, I’m just going to
Snapchat/Instagram/Facebook with the people who DO and harass the people who
don’t!”
I’m not sure we
have a really good handle on “moral dilemma” any more. I suppose that’s why
this instructor had to teach her group what a “moral dilemma” is. I suppose at
this point, I should insert a gif that shakes its head in grief.
I refuse to define
this myself because I’ll just be adding “my opinion” to the argument – and that’s
exactly what I DON’T want to do. Because…well, in this time of moral
relativism, you can’t HAVE a “moral dilemma”.
The word “dilemma”
has a clear definition, in fact, there is a formal definition from the field of
logic: “an argument forcing an opponent to choose either of two unfavorable
alternatives.”
OK – that’s clear.
The use of a dilemma in fiction is obvious. In fact, characters HAVE to face a
difficult choice in a story in order to…uh…make it a story.
CS Lewis’ NARNIA
book THE SILVER CHAIR, points out: “‘Crying is all right in its way while it
lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide
what to do.’”
Former President
Obama’s wife writes, “You can't make decisions based on fear and the possibility
of what might happen.”
“Truly successful
decision-making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive
thinking.” ― Malcolm Gladwell
“…the sort of
person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision, and not the result
of camp influences alone.” ― Viktor E. Frankl
And lastly, Eleanor
Roosevelt wrote: “One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is
expressed in the choices one makes... and the choices we make are ultimately
our responsibility.”
Too bad about the
last two words – many Americans don’t believe they have to take responsibility
for ANYTHING. The result of a bad decision ultimately belongs to someone else.
Not me!
So, let’s accept
that some writers have no idea what a “moral dilemma” is – perhaps because they’ve
never had to face one (because you’d have to have some sort of systematic
morality that’s grown in your life; that you’ve cultivated and applied.) The
development of a morality:
n. late 14c.,
"moral qualities," from Old French moralité "moral (of a story);
moral instruction; morals, moral character" (13c.) and directly from Late
Latin moralitatem (nominative moralitas) "manner, character," from
Latin moralis (see moral (adj.)). Meaning "goodness" is attested from
1590s.
“Where there is no
free agency, there can be no morality. Where there is no temptation, there can
be little claim to virtue. Where the routine is
rigorously proscribed by law, the law, and not the man, must have the credit of
the conduct.” [William H. Prescott, "History of the Conquest of
Peru," 1847]
So the idea of “morality”
has been around for a while – but Prescott makes an interesting point: “…Where
the routine is rigorously proscribed by law, the law, and not the man, must
have the credit of the conduct…” I would say, based on the evidence that I see
every day in the high school I work at (and I work with teachers,
administrators, parents, law enforcement, community, county, state, and federal
workers of many stripes)…finding that someone has any kind of functional
morality is more of a surprise than an expectation.
Of course, this
would be something that the instructor had discovered and hence felt a need to
TEACH it. As a veteran teacher with over thirty years in the classroom, the
only time I feel compelled to teach something is when the class doesn’t know
that thing.
If they knew it, I
wouldn’t have to teach it…
The other reason
to teach something is an attempt to standardize the morality – but in early 21st
Century America, to teach outside of the proscribed (read “lawful”) morality
would be tantamount to employment suicide. To even teach someone HOW to form a
moral system would end in the same way – I don’t care if you’re talking about a
pre-school classroom or a PhD classroom. Instructors have lost their jobs
attempting to teach students to think for themselves.
So, while we as
writers have the “dilemma” thing down, the “moral” thing is what defines not
only a story, but (given that the skill levels of writers with varying
moralities are equal) whether or not the author gets published and upon whom
awards and accolades are bestowed.
Image: https://source.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/MoralityWordCloud2_shutterstock_344435093-1.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment