Abstract

MENASSE, Adriana. Commentaries about evil and heart hardening. Acta poét [online]. 2015, vol.36, n.2, pp.63-79. ISSN 2448-735X.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apoet.2014.11.001.

What makes a human being to decide between right and wrong, between good and evil does not seem to be something that reason can truly comprehend. That is, at least, what both Kant and Levinas suggest, abandoning such decision to its ultimate mystery. The biblical formulation of this enigma can be hinted at in the book of Exodus through the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. Is God hardening the heart of Pharaoh, or was it previously hardened? This question reveals a unique and undecidable movement. Marlowe and Shakespeare also reflect on the hesitations of the soul, supporting the idea that evil is, in the last account, a decision of the will, one that inevitably brings the downfall of its doer. Can the humor of our times adhere to those edifying convictions? Much has happened since Shakespeare and Marlowe's time, but whether our trust in the ethical coherence of the world remains vivid or not, we have only an obstinate determination to rely on if we still want to uphold the threads of language and humanity.

Keywords : evil; hardening of the heart; meaning; language.

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