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Morality and Morbidity: Semantics and the Moral Status of Macabre Fascination

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Notes

  1. Strohl, Matthew. “Horror and Hedonic Ambivalence.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol. 70 No. 2 (2012). pp. 203–212. Ref on p. 204.

  2. The given definition derives from informal ordinary language usage as per dictionary definition, meant to serve as an introductory working point for the purposes of expediency and awareness. As the project will demonstrate, the lack of formal study into providing an accurate definition proves a disutility to moral analysis.

  3. Hursthouse, Rosalind. “Virtue Ethics and the Emotions.” Virtue Ethics (1997). pp. 99–117.

  4. Hurka, Thomas. Virtue, Vice, and Value. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Ref on p. 16.

  5. Calder, Todd. “Against Consequentialist Theories of Virtue and Vice.” Utilitas Vol. 19, Issue 2 (June 2007). pp. 201–219. Ref on p. 208.

  6. Schneider, Steven Jay. “Toward an Aesthetic of Horror Cinema” in The Horror Film. Ed: Stephen Prince. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2004.

  7. Although the intuitionist response objection to macabre fascination appears commonplace, the author has yet to encounter formal analytic research that endeavors to characterize the given phenomenon. The author attributes the formulation to the contributions of Gregory Currie and Derek Matravers.

  8. Hanich, Julian. Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers. New York: Routledge, 2011. Ref on p. 88.

  9. Gendler, Tamar Szabo. “The Puzzle of Imaginative Resistance.” The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 97 No. 2 (February 2000). pp. 55–81.

  10. These expectations suggest semantic prejudice regarding macabre fascination, discussed in the forthcoming section.

  11. Woodcock, Scott. “Horror Films and the Argument From Reactive Attitudes.” Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Vol. 16 No. 2 (April 2013). pp. 309–324. Ref on p. 310.

  12. Ibid. p. 281.

  13. Ibid. p. 284.

  14. Di Muzio, Gianluca. “The Immorality of Horror Films.” The International Journal of Applied Philosophy, Vol. 20 No. 2 (2006). pp. 277–294. Ref on p. 281.

  15. Ibid. p. 285.

  16. Ibid. p. 286.

  17. The ARA uses 'reactive attitudes' differently than is common in moral philosophy. Literature on the ARA indicates 'reactive attitudes' as akin to sympathy or empathy. 'Reactive attitudes' typically refer to stances of praise, blame, admiration, or indignation. See: Strawson, Peter F. 1962. “Freedom and Resentment.” Proceedings of the British Academy, 48: pp. 1–25. Reprinted in Fischer and Ravizza, 1993.

  18. Interpreting Di Muzio to argue against all consumptions of slashers, let alone macabre horror in all forms would indicate significant lack of charity and potential construal of a straw man, but the author alongside aforementioned critics argue the extent of his moral opposition remains debatable. While he implies caveats, none suggest normative lenience nor acceptance towards the morbidity clause of works/audiences. For instance, his concluding opposition towards censorship and broad restrictions on viewing is not born from considerations of a moral nature, but rather predominantly practical concerns about the feasibility of implementation.

  19. Di Muzio, Gianluca. “The Immorality of Horror Films.” The International Journal of Applied Philosophy, Vol. 20 No. 2 (2006). pp. 277–294. Ref on p. 291.

  20. Jones, Gerard. Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Superheroes, and Make Believe Violence. New York: Basic Books/Perseus Book Group, 2003. Ref on pp. 333, 336.

  21. Devisch, Ignaas, Vanheule, Stijn, Deveugele, Myriam, Nola, Iskra, Civaner, Murat, and Pype, Peter. “Victims of Disaster: Can Ethical Debriefings Be of Help to Care for Their Suffering?” Medical Health Care and Philosophy, Vol. 20 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-016-9742-1. pp. 257–267. Ref on pp. 261–263, 265.

  22. Kreider, Evan S. “The Virtue of Horror Films: A Response to Di Muzio.” The International Journal of Applied Philosophy, Vol. 22 No. 1 (2008). pp. 149–157. Ref on p. 151.

  23. Kreider further notes the concept of reactive attitudes as never dulled is unrealistic.

  24. See Hanich, Julian. Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers. New York: Routledge, 2011. and Carroll, Noel, “The General Theory of Horrific Appeal” in Dark Thoughts: Philosophic Reflections on Cinematic Horror Ed: Steven Jay Schneider and Daniel Shaw. Lanham: Maryland, Scarecrow Press 2003. pp. 1–9.

  25. Asma, Stephen T. “Monsters on the Brain: An Evolutionary Epistemology of Horror.” Social Research, Vol. 81 No. 4 (Winter 2014). pp. 941–968. Ref on p. 956.

  26. Lee, Sherman, Piotrowski, Jaroslaw P., Rozycka, Joanna, and Zemojtel-Piotrowska, Magdalena A. “Associations Between Death Fascination, Death Anxiety, and Religion Among Polish College Students.” Polish Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 44 No. 4 (2013). pp. 439–448. Ref. on p. 441.

  27. Prinz, Jesse. Gut Reactions: A Perceptual Theory of Emotions. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Ref. on p. 135.

  28. Carroll, Noel. The Philosophy of Horror: or Paradoxes of the Heart. New York: Routledge, Chapman, and Hall, 1990. Ref on p. 186.

  29. Freeland, Cynthia. The Naked and the Undead: Evil and the Appeal of Horror. Colorado: Westview Press, 2000. Ref. on p. 257.

  30. Lee, Sherman, Piotrowski, Jaroslaw P., Rozycka, Joanna, and Zemojtel-Piotrowska, Magdalena A. “Associations Between Death Fascination, Death Anxiety, and Religion Among Polish College Students.” Polish Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 44 No. 4 (2013). pp. 439–448. Ref. on p. 440.

  31. Menninghaus W., Wagner V., Hanich J., Wassiliwizky E., Jacobsen T., and Koelsch S. “The Distancing-Embracing Model of the Enjoyment of Negative Emotions in Art Reception.” Behavioral and Brain Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x17000309.

  32. Bantinaki, Katerina. “The Paradox of Horror: Fear as Positive Emotion.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol. 70 No. 4 (Fall 2012). pp. 383–392. Ref on p.391.

  33. Gaut, Berys. “The Paradox of Horror.” The British Journal of Aesthetics, Vol. 33 No. 4 (October 1993). pp. 333–345. Ref. on p. 339.

  34. Epicurus. “Letter to Menoeceus.” Trans: C. Bailey. In The Stoic and Epicurean Philosophers: The Extant Writings of Epicurus, Epictetus, Lucretius, and Marcus Aurelius. Ed: Whitney J. Oates. New York: The Modern Library, 1940. pp. 30–33. Ref. on p. 31.

  35. Asma, Stephen T. On Monsters. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Ref. on p. 36.

  36. Plato, Republic. 439e-440b. Plato: The Collected Dialogues. Ed: Edith Hamilton and Huntingon Cairns. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1989.

  37. For some illustrative cases regarding inconclusive findings encompassing this and similar emotive states see, among others; Gruber, June Mauss, Iris B. and Tamir, Maya. “A Dark Side of Happiness? How, When, and Why Happiness is Not Always Good.” Perspectives on Psychological Science, Vol. 6 Issue 3 (2011). pp. 222–233. Dahl, Gordon and DellaVigna, Stefano. “Does Movie Violence Increase Violent Crime?” The Quarterly Journal of Economics (May 2009). pp. 677–734. Zarinpousch, Fataneh, Cooper, Martin, and Moylan, Stephanie. “The Effects of Happiness and Sadness on Moral Reasoning.” Journal of Moral Education, Vol. 29 No. 4 (2000). pp. 397–412.

  38. Kolnai, Aurel. “The Standard Modes of Aversion.” Mind, Vol. 107 No. 427 (Jul. 1998). pp. 581–595. Ref. on p. 585.

  39. For a complete exegesis of macabre fascination prevalence, refer to Wilson, Eric G. Everyone Loves a Good Train Wreck: Why We Can't Look Away. New York: Sarah Crichton Books, 2012.

  40. Kreider, Evan S. “The Virtue of Horror Films: A Response to Di Muzio.” The International Journal of Applied Philosophy, Vol. 22 No. 1 (2008). pp. 149–157. Ref on p. 149.

  41. Gruber, June Mauss, Iris B. and Tamir, Maya. “A Dark Side of Happiness? How, When, and Why Happiness is Not Always Good. Perspectives on Psychological Science, Vol. 6 Issue 3 (2011). pp. 222–233.

  42. Asma, Stephen T. “Monsters on the Brain: An Evolutionary Epistemology of Horror.” Social Research, Vol. 81 No. 4 (Winter 2014). pp. 941–968. Ref on p. 955.

  43. Kreider, Evan S. “The Virtue of Horror Films: A Response to Di Muzio.” The International Journal of Applied Philosophy, Vol. 22 No. 1 (2008). pp. 149–157. Ref on p. 150.

  44. Kolnai, Aurel. “The Standard Modes of Aversion.” Mind, Vol. 107 No. 427 (Jul. 1998). pp. 581–595. Ref. on p. 585.

  45. Aristotle, Poetics 1448b5-17. The Complete Works of Aristotle, Ed: Jonathan Barnes, Trans: I. Bywater. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984.

  46. Dawes, James. “Fictional Feeling: Philosophy, Cognitive Science, and the American Gothic.” American Literature, Vol. 76 No. 3 (September 2004). pp. 437–466. Ref on p. 440.

  47. Wolf, Susan. “Moral Saints.” The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 79 No. 8 (August 1982). pp. 419–139.

  48. Position provided by Brian McLean during the 2017 Pittsburgh Area Philosophy Colloquium.

  49. At the time of authorship, recent controversies include Reddit forums dedicated to capturing actual deaths on film, along with the portrayal of a suicide victim on a widely known Youtube channel. For relevant summaries in the news, see: Wong, Julie Carrie, “YouTube Reprimands Star Vlogger Over Japan ‘Suicide Forest’ Video.” The Guardian 10 January, 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/10/logan-paul-youtube-removed-premium-channel and Lee, Timothy B. “Reddit Conducts Wide-Ranging Purge of Offensive Subreddits” Ars Technica 26 October 2017 https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/10/reddit-conducts-wide-ranging-purge-of-offensive-subreddits/.

  50. Morris, Jeremy. “The Justification of Torture Horror” in The Philosophy of Horror Ed: Thomas Fahy. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2010. pp. 42–56. Ref. on pp. 54–56.

  51. Tallon, Philip. “Through a Mirror Darkly: Art-Horror as a Medium for Moral Reflection.” In The Philosophy of Horror Ed: Thomas Fahy. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2010. pp. 33–41. Ref. on p. 37.

  52. Miles, W. S. F. “Auschwitz: Museum Interpretation and Darker Tourism.” Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 29 No. 4 (2002). pp. 1175–1178.

  53. Kieran, Matthew. “On Obscenity: The Thrill and Repulsion of the Morally Prohibited.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Vol. 64 No. 1 (Jan 2002). pp. 31–55. Ref. on p. 45

  54. Hanich, Julian. Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers. New York: Routledge, 2011. Ref. on p. 52.

  55. Kieran, Matthew. “On Obscenity: The Thrill and Repulsion of the Morally Prohibited.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Vol. 64 No. 1 (Jan 2002). pp. 31–55. Ref. on p. 54.

  56. Hanich, Julian. Cinematic Emotion in Horror Films and Thrillers. New York: Routledge, 2011. Ref on p. 88.

  57. Kieran, Matthew. “Forbidden Knowledge.” Art and Morality. Ed: Jose Luis Bermudez and Sebastian Gardner. Routledge, 2003. Ref on p. 68.

  58. Hills, Matt. The Pleasures of Horror. New York: Continuum, 2005. Ref on p. 4.

  59. Shaw, Daniel. Dark Thoughts: Philosophic Reflections on Cinematic Horror. Ed: Steven Jay Schneider and Daniel Shaw. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press 2003. Ref on p. 261.

  60. Stone, Philip R. “A Dark Tourism Spectrum: Towards a Typology of Death and Macabre Related Tourist Sites, Attractions, and Exhibitions.” Tourism, Vol. 54 No. 2 (2006). pp. 145–160.

  61. Miles, W. S. F. “Auschwitz: Museum Interpretation and Darker Tourism.” Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 29 No. 4 (2002). pp. 1175–117.

  62. The author attributes this example to one of the reviewers of The Journal of Value Inquiry.

  63. Interestingly, as of this writing the author is unable to locate any research that has endeavored to prove macabre fascination as ubiquitous, but voluminous work both internal and external to the discipline, alongside even cursory empirical observation is sufficient to establish that it is at a minimum largely prevalent.

  64. Kreider, Evan S. “The Virtue of Horror Films: A Response to Di Muzio.” The International Journal of Applied Philosophy, Vol. 22 No. 1 (2008). pp. 149–157. Ref on p. 151.

  65. Seaton, A.V. “War and Thanatourism: Waterloo 1815-1914.” Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 26 (1999). pp. 130–158.

  66. Di Muzio, Gianluca. “The Immorality of Horror Films.” The International Journal of Applied Philosophy, Vol. 20 No. 2 (2006). pp. 277–294. Ref on pp. 292–293.

  67. Wilson, Eric G. Everyone Loves a Good Train Wreck: Why We Can't Look Away. New York: Sarah Crichton Books, 2012. Ref on p. 119, 121.

  68. For an in-depth explanation, see Pascale, Marius A. “Macabre Fascination and Moral Propriety: The Attraction of Horror.” Contemporary Aesthetics, Issue 14 (November 2016).

  69. The author acknowledges the contribution of Jason D'Cruz and Travis Timmermann.

  70. See Doris, John. Lack of Character. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

  71. Upton, Candace L. “Virtue Ethics and Moral Psychology: The Situationism Debate.” The Journal of Ethics, Vol. 13 Issue 2–3 (September 2009). pp. 103–115.

  72. Ibid.

  73. The author attributes this amendment to Jenefer Robinson, raised during the Gottingen University Spring School Conference: The Role of Empathy and Emotion in Understanding Fiction" March 28, 2017.

  74. Morris, Jeremy. “The Justification of Torture Horror” in The Philosophy of Horror Ed: Thomas Fahy. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2010. pp. 42–56. Ref. on p. 54.

  75. Gendler, Tamar Szabo. “The Puzzle of Imaginative Resistance.” The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 97 No. 2 (February 2000). pp. 55–81.

  76. Morris, Jeremy. “The Justification of Torture Horror” in The Philosophy of Horror Ed: Thomas Fahy. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2010. pp. 42–56. Ref. on p. 46.

  77. Analyzing race and gender in horror is not germane, and constitutes distinct endeavors pursued by a plurality of scholars. See: Clover, Carol J. Men Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. Princeton: Princeton University Classics, 2015 and Hutchings, Peter. The Horror Film. New York: Pearson Longman, 2004.

  78. Keiran, Matthew. “Forbidden Knowledge.” Art and Morality Ed: Jose Luis Bermudez and Sebastian Gardner. Routledge 2003. Ref. on p. 68.

  79. Stone, Philip R. “A Dark Tourism Spectrum: Towards a Typology of Death and Macabre Related Tourist Sites, Attractions, and Exhibitions.” Tourism, Vol. 54 No. 2 (2006). pp. 145–160. Ref on p. 146.

  80. Grant, Barry Keith. “Screams on Screens: Paradigms of Horror” Loading, Vol. 4 No. 6 (2010). pp. 1–17. Ref. on p. 4.

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  1. Seton Hall University, South Orange, USA

    Marius A. Pascale

  2. Rider University, Lawrenceville, USA

    Marius A. Pascale

  3. William Paterson University, Wayne, USA

    Marius A. Pascale

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Pascale, M.A. Morality and Morbidity: Semantics and the Moral Status of Macabre Fascination. J Value Inquiry 53, 551–577 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10790-018-9671-8

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