Real Moral Options and Imaginative Resistance

I identify an overlooked dimension of variation in the literature on imaginative resistance: whether the moral perspective promoted or implied in a fictional work is perceived as what Bernard Williams calls a ‘real confrontation’ rather than a merely ‘notional’ one. In particular, I suggest that people may experience imaginative resistance when engaging with some works of art, partly because these works prescribe or promote outlooks perceived as immoral and as genuine ‘live options’. This ‘live option’ dimension is distinct from the more commonly discussed magnitude of moral deviation—how far a fictional perspective departs from our moral beliefs—and may help explain why we more readily engage with the moral frameworks of ancient epics, such as Homer’s Iliad, while strongly resisting contemporary fictions that present racism or Russian imperial aggression as morally justified.