Martha Nussbaum and Literature as Moral Philosophy

Abstract

Martha Nussbaum claims that literature can be moral philosophy. This thesis, not so popular among philosophers, has been the target of different attacks. One of the most fundamental objections to the thesis is that literature do not do some traditional philosophic work. Specifically, it is said that philosophy does systematic conceptual work, and that philosophy shows truths by arguing. This paper claims that literature can indeed do systematic work and argue. Therefore, a literary work can be, at the same time, a philosophical work; more precisely, it can be moral philosophy. The main argument for this is based on two ideas inspired by Wittgenstein’s work. First, that a way of systematize is to offer a panoramic view that illuminates the problem field. Second, that there are some truths, particularly moral truths, that language cannot grasp, but can show.

Keywords: Ethics, philosophy, literature, morality, Nussbaum, Wittgenstein.