Tragedy Without the Gods: Autonomy, Necessity and the Real Self

The classical tragedies relate conflicts, choices and dilemmas that have meaningful parallels in our own experience. Many of the normative dimensions of tragedy, however, rely critically on the causal and motivational efficacy of divine forces. In particular, these narratives present supernatural in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The British journal of aesthetics 2014-04, Vol.54 (2), p.141-159
Main Author: Denham, Alison
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aesthetics
Narratives
Philosophy
Social life & customs
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Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The classical tragedies relate conflicts, choices and dilemmas that have meaningful parallels in our own experience. Many of the normative dimensions of tragedy, however, rely critically on the causal and motivational efficacy of divine forces. In particular, these narratives present supernatural interventions invading their characters' practical deliberations and undermining their claims to autonomous agency. Does this dynamic find any analogy in a contemporary, secular conception of moral agency? It does, but it is an analogy that challenges certain standard philosophical accounts of agentive self-governance.
ISSN:0007-0904
1468-2842
DOI:10.1093/aesthj/ayu007