0199247064.pdf by Rae; Langton

Author:Rae; Langton [Langton, Rae;]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

duty and desolation 209

who is without a friend is the man who ‘must shut himself up in himself’, who must remain ‘completely alone with his thoughts, as in a prison’.²⁶ But to a friend, one can—ideally—reveal oneself without anxiety or fear of betrayal. Friendship liberates, provides release from the prison of the self, enlarges the scope of the arena of virtue. When one is with a friend one is no longer ‘completely alone with one’s thoughts, as in a prison, but enjoys a freedom [otherwise] denied.’²⁷ The sphere of friendship is the sphere where one ideally has no temptation to lie, to remain reticent, to act strategically, but speaks one’s mind: ‘moral friendship is the complete confidence of two persons in revealing their secret thoughts and feelings to each other’.²⁸ In short, as Korsgaard puts it: ‘to become friends is to create a neighbourhood where the Kingdom of Ends is real’.²⁹

2. Duty and Desolation

Having posted his moral sedative off to Austria, and received no reply from the patient in more than a year, Kant enquired of a mutual friend who often saw her about the effect his letter had had. Herbert then wrote back, with apologies for her delay. This is her second letter: 3. To Kant, from Maria von Herbert, January 1793

Dear and revered sir,

Your kindness, and your exact understanding of the human heart, encourage me to describe to you, unshrinkingly, the further progress of my soul. The lie was no cloaking of a vice, but a sin of keeping something back out of consideration for the friendship (still veiled by love) that existed then. There was a struggle, I was aware of the honesty friendship demands, and at the same time I could foresee the terribly wounding consequences. Finally I had the strength and revealed the truth to my friend, but so late —and when I told him, the stone in my heart was gone, but his love was torn away in exchange. My friend hardened in his coldness, just as you said in your letter. But then afterwards he changed towards me, and offered me again the most intimate friendship. I’m glad enough about it, for his sake —but I’m not really content, because it’s just amusement, it doesn’t have any point.

²⁶ Ibid., 471, my italics. This is a remarkable metaphor for a philosopher who finds in the autonomous human self, and its self-legislating activity, the only source of intrinsic value.

²⁷ Ibid., 471.

²⁸ Ibid., 471.

²⁹ op. cit., 8, note 8.

210

duty and desolation

My vision is clear now. I feel that a vast emptiness extends inside me, and all around me —so that I almost find myself to be superfluous, unnecessary.

Nothing attracts me. I’m tormented by a boredom that makes life intolerable.

Don’t think me arrogant for saying this, but the demands of morality are too easy for me. I would eagerly do twice as much as they command. They only get their prestige from the attractiveness of sin, and it costs me almost no effort to resist that.

I comfort

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