I should state that I'm not arguing that Cassie is a bad person - just because someone is selfish doesn't mean that they are bad or immoral. And I can't really blame her for not wanting to become that kind of person who kills and doesn't feel anything (and I think a lot of us, if put in the Animorphs' situation, would feel a lot like Cassie does).
But I think morality is more complex than just being always about what benefits many or prevents harm. Is it wrong to kill an innocent child to save many others? Most people would say yes, even though in that case the moral option in fact harms more people, because more people die.
And morality also isn't the same thing as being selfishness. Morality is about what is right and wrong, whereas selfishness is more about a person's motivation. And I think poparena explained why Cassie is selfish better than I did, but it's like...in #19, she leaves not because she believes that fighting in the war is morally wrong (he actually does believe that the war needs to be fought). She leaves because she doesn't like the effect that the war is having on her. It's her motivations that make her selfish, and she is completely capable of being both selfish and morally right at the same time.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2011-05-11 01:16 am (UTC)But I think morality is more complex than just being always about what benefits many or prevents harm. Is it wrong to kill an innocent child to save many others? Most people would say yes, even though in that case the moral option in fact harms more people, because more people die.
And morality also isn't the same thing as being selfishness. Morality is about what is right and wrong, whereas selfishness is more about a person's motivation. And I think poparena explained why Cassie is selfish better than I did, but it's like...in #19, she leaves not because she believes that fighting in the war is morally wrong (he actually does believe that the war needs to be fought). She leaves because she doesn't like the effect that the war is having on her. It's her motivations that make her selfish, and she is completely capable of being both selfish and morally right at the same time.