Arrested Development and Philosophy_ They've Made a Huge Mistake - Kristopher G. Phillips [88]
This, however, doesn’t mean the moral sense is irrational—at least, not in the sense that it violates reason. The moral sense is like anger. We can feel angry about the Cornballer without any reasoning whatsoever, so anger isn’t based on reason. But it isn’t irrational either (that Cornballer shouldn’t be on the market at all!). It’s perfectly reasonable to be angry with the Bluths for making that stupid device. In both anger and morality, the feeling we have is nonrational—it might be influenced by reason, but isn’t dependent on it.
So what does this mean for Gob? Do his mistakes still make him a bad person by Hume’s estimation? Not necessarily. Remember, morality isn’t a matter of being rational, so making unreasonable or inadvisable choices isn’t automatically morally wrong. In fact, Gob’s mistakes have the potential to make him more morally mature. One difference between ideas and impressions is that, while reason and ideas can be taught in a classroom, impressions like emotions and morality can be refined only through experience. Sure, you can learn the arguments for why murder is immoral, but you won’t really feel that it’s wrong unless you have some experience of the value of human life. So every mistake that Gob makes is really an experience that can help refine his moral sense. In the episode “Forget Me Now,” for example, we get a rare glimpse of Gob growing as a character when, after avoiding his son Steve Holt (!) throughout the episode, Gob is approached by Steve, who thinks he’s accidentally slept with his cousin.
Steve: I’ve made a huge mistake.
Gob: I know the feeling—I had you. [They embrace.] I’m your father, Steve Holt! I can’t hide from it anymore!
Steve: I won’t forget this . . . Dad! [“Forget Me Now”]
This touching moment was only possible because Gob had experienced so many failed attempts to win his own father’s approval that when he saw that his son needed him, Gob finally grew into a more mature man, a true father figure for poor Steve Holt (!).
But does this mean that his constant mistakes make Gob a good person? Again, not necessarily. Mistakes are only valuable if we learn from them, if we use them to refine and mature our moral sense. In Gob’s case, one of the things fans know they can count on is that he will never learn from his mistakes. In fact, Gob seems to actively try to keep himself from developing any moral sense. After reconciling with his son in the scene just mentioned, Gob, realizing he’s becoming a more responsible human being, promptly decides to take one of the pills he carries for protecting the secrets of his magic tricks (illusions!).
Steve: I won’t forget this . . . Dad! [He exits]
Gob: I will . . . [He swallows a Flunitrazepam pill] I will.
Perhaps even David Hume can’t defend Gob’s actions. His stubborn refusal to learn from his mistakes means that Gob will never cultivate his dormant moral sense. In the end, Gob may very well deserve to be called a bad person. It isn’t because he makes mistakes, but rather, because of his arrested moral development. On the other hand, it’s that very quality that makes him so much fun to watch.
“. . . She Keeps Saying That God Is Going to Show Me a Sign. The . . . Something of My Ways. Wisdom?”9
Whether one accepts Aristotle’s claims about reason and moral disposition, or Hume’s regarding impressions