¿Pero leer novelas nos hace mejores? Ficción literaria y desarrollo moral.

But Does Reading Novels make us Better? Literary Fiction and Moral Development.

MORAL judgment; HUMANITARIANISM; HABIT; OTHER (Philosophy); HUMANITY; EMPATHY; MORAL development; SHOES; ARGUMENT

La novela ha sido consagrada como una de las "técnicas de experiencia vicaria" fundamentales, que adiestran nuestra habilidad para ponernos en la piel de otras personas. No han sido pocos los que han visto un claro efecto moral en esa permanente exploración de la alteridad. El artículo repasa los argumentos (1) de los entusiastas de esa idea, los que creen que leer novelas nos hace más empáticos y solidarios; (2) de los moderados, quienes consideran que ayuda ante todo a ejercitar nuestro juicio moral, y (3) de los escépticos, que apenas encuentran ningún fin moral en ese hábito. Revisa a continuación algunas complejidades del desarrollo moral, que hacen improbable una fácil conexión, y termina distinguiendo los modos en que la lectura de novelas sí puede contribuir a cultivar la humanidad que hay en nosotros y a ahondar en el humanitarismo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel has been enshrined as being one of the fundamental "vicarious experience techniques" for training our ability to put ourselves in other people's shoes. There have been many who have seen a clear moral effect in this continuous exploration of otherness. The article reviews (1) the arguments of the enthusiasts of this idea, those who believe that reading novels makes us more empathetic and supportive; (2) those of moderates, who find that, above all, it helps us to exercise our moral judgment, and (3) those of the skeptics, who hardly see any moral purpose in the habit. The author then reviews some complexities of moral development, which make an easy connection unlikely, and concludes by distinguishing the ways in which reading novels can contribute to cultivating the humanity in us and to deepening humanitarianism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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