Sympathy and the Basis of Morality

According to George Eliot, "the greatest benefit we owe to the artist, whether painter, poet, or novelist, is the extension of our sympathies". In her view, morality does not need any theological foundation and is better off without it. The basic error in the Christian views is their failure to recognize that sympathy is the basis of morality and religion. Three types of sympathy are discussed in this chapter, and all are differently related to morality. The author argues that Eliot has described the natural growth of the emotions that ensure practical sympathy. Therefore she has described the growth of the correct moral outlook that gives other people their appropriate weight in one's own choices. Eliot regards her novels as means to the extension of our sympathy. They also show why sympathy is an unsuitable foundation for morality. © 2013 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd