https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h Be sure to watch the videos linked in the announcement before adding to this document. Consider the various choices made by the characters in each chapter of the novel so far. How do these choices reflect ethical or unethical decision making, especially for or against the Kantian moral principles? Please add one literal action taken by a character (or group of characters) from Ch. 1-5. Right now, we are only compiling a list of actions and choices. OPTION: you may also add your own comments/judgements about how these actions relate to the Kantian framework (keep in mind, this is just the first part of the discussion). en-us 2021-01-29 13:48:40 UTC 2026-02-26 12:37:18 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1140823167 At the end of Chapter 4, Gatsby tells Jordan to tell Nick to ask Daisy to tea at Nick's home. The catch is that Nick is not supposed to tell Daisy about Gatsby being invited as well.
(Slight detour. In this situation, Nick is told to hide the truth and not expressly lie. Some may not consider it lying, but Gatsby intended to deceive Daisy to trick her to have tea. He knew that Daisy would be fine having tea with her cousin, but hesitant to have it with Jay Gatsby. Therefore, I consider it lying.)
This breaks Kantian moral principals because it does not give Daisy the ability to make a decision based on her personal feelings or morals because she did not know about Gatsby being in attendance.]]> 2021-01-29 14:40:21 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1140823167 jasmin_jordan https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1140878141 At the beginning of chapter 2, Tom invites Nick to Queens/the Valley of Ashes to meet his mistress and doesn't hide the fact that he has a mistress in the city. This breaks Kantian principle of universality because this principle says all your actions must be consistent applications of your moral code at all times and would it be okay if everyone did this all the time? Tom made this unethical decision because he doesn't understand how this would affect him and doesn't think about if Daisy was doing this to him, how would he feel about it? - Jasmin Jordan]]> 2021-01-29 14:51:24 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1140878141 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1140882146 In Chapter 3, Gatsby takes Nick out to meet Meyer Wolfsheim. During the car ride, Gatsby tells Nick an obviously fake backstory to manipulate Nick into helping him out. This would go against Kantian moral principles, as Kant argued that lying and manipulating others is never moral. Nick made his decision to invite Daisy over for tea on false information, and if anything went wrong when Daisy was invited over for tea, it would be on Gatsby. - Ethan Wang]]> 2021-01-29 14:52:11 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1140882146 ailish_humphreys https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141000620 When Myrtle is introduced in Chapter 2, it becomes obvious that her relationship with Tom is not completely truthful. Tom lies to Myrtle about why they can not get married, saying that Daisy is a Catholic, which she is not. He manipulates their relationship and I believe it is because Tom does not respect Myrtle enough to treat her with complete honesty. This treatment contradicts the Kantain idea that every person must be treated as a dignified person and can never be used or manipulated for someones selfish desires. ]]> 2021-01-29 15:15:16 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141000620 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141046182 While in the car, Gatsby tells Nick a false backstory in order for self gain. This goes against what Kant says as he believes that no one should lie. Gatsby's clearly is a manipular and liar, and he does this in order to look better and grab the attention of one person. ]]> 2021-01-29 15:24:01 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141046182 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141077067 At the end of chapter 3, Nick talks about Jordan being dishonest so often that it is basically programmed into her to lie in order to keep herself above other people. This goes directly against Kantian Ethics, because Kant says you are never, ever allowed to lie, even to save someone. Kant is unwilling to bend his moral code and lie even if it could save someone's life, because he says if you lie, then you are also responsible for anything bad that comes out of the situation. If even in a life or death situation you still can't lie, Jordan selfishly lying to not be at any disadvantage is definitely against Kantian ethics. ]]> 2021-01-29 15:29:58 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141077067 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141156491 Within Chapter 1 and really all throughout the novel the majority of the charachters (Tom, Daisy, and Jordan in Ch1) are portrayed as mindless consumers. Consumerism (and its leading philosophy Utilitaritanism) leads people to treat all things as something to be used to extract some form of value or pleasure, with no real regard for their morals. This concept directly opposes Kantian ethics as Kant states that people's desires should be second to their morals.]]> 2021-01-29 15:46:02 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141156491 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141239023 Tom believes himself to be a proper man. A man of honor and dignity. However there is nothing honorable r dignifying about striking a women.  I believe Tom has a god complex and sees himself as a superior being not only compared to women but other men as well. Even though he appears to be a man of truth his actions don't reflect. That relates to the first point of Kantian ethics that your actions should be representative of your morals. Toms actions and morals are completely different. Not only does he hit myrtle but he takes pride in the fact that he did. Tom contradicts his appearance in his actions in everything he does.]]> 2021-01-29 16:03:12 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141239023 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141250527 At the very start of the book, Nick talks very poorly of his college classmates, making the claim that they constantly come to him with "intimate relations" which are "unsought". Nick goes on to tell of how he tries to avoid such interactions, like pretending to be asleep, being mean, etc. Such actions violate Kant's 2nd maxim of treating every person as a dignified and rational person. By pretending to be asleep or being mean, Nick is clearly not treating everybody as a dignified and rational person, as he would be much nicer and assumedly would not try to avoid hanging out with them. It's Nick's quick and harsh judgements, which lead him to act so cruelly, that are immoral according to Kant's categorical imperatives.. ]]> 2021-01-29 16:05:44 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141250527 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141263196 In chapter 2 Tom's mistress, Myrtle, is introduced. Tom even having a mistress goes against Kant's ethics because he has a wife. He not only lies to Myrtle about why they can't get married, but he goes against the moral code. He makes an exception for himself for having a mistress and cheating on his spouse, but according to Kant's ethics, Tom's actions would mean that it is acceptable for everyone to cheat on their spouse. However, if Daisy were to cheat on him, I have a feeling Tom wouldn't like that very much because it would be threatening his masculinity. Therefore, Tom having a mistress goes against Kant's moral code.]]> 2021-01-29 16:08:22 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141263196 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141266054 This may seem like merely a funny little moment around the beginning of chapter 5 that shows off how childish Gatsby is, but it actually can be seen as a form of deception. By running around the house to make it look like he just arrived, Gatsby is trying to hide his intentions in being there. Because of that, Daisy is unable to 🤬 the situation based on how it truly was, and is therefore unable to properly make a decision on whether to stay or go home.]]> 2021-01-29 16:08:57 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141266054 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141338875 In chapter 1, we see Nick meet Tom  and his personality is revealed to the reader. 
For one, Tom feels inclined to assert his dominance over Nick by saying, "just because I'm stronger and more of a man than you," when speaking of their separate opinions, and goes on to say, "I've got a nice place here." Though the reader doesn't expect much from Tom as the novel progresses, this behavior from Tom goes against Kant's moral philosophy. According to Kant, one should not "devote his life solely to... enjoyment," and Tom clearly wills his happiness based on what he owns. Kant argues that happiness is good, but one should also seek to develop their talents - Tom clearly doesn't seek to develop any talents as he only relies on his money to live. Additionally, not only does Tom's behavior go against Kant's first claim on "natural necessity," but it also goes against Kant's second claim within his categorical imperatives that states, one should be satisfied with the capacities others develop on their own. Tom claiming that he is a better man than Nick goes against another of Kant's claims, as he conditions happiness for Nick based on what he has done and accomplished. ]]> 2021-01-29 16:23:29 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141338875 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141377546 Gatsby manages to get nick to get daisy to talk to him. This is morally wrong because 1. that means Gatsby is using nick for a means which goes against his moral law and 2. daisy acting on her feelings even though she has a husband is wrong even if her husband has a mistress. Kant believes you should focus on your own moral path and let other people control their own so any kind of revenge is just as wrong as the original crime.]]> 2021-01-29 16:31:03 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141377546 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141946883 Tom has had affairs with women, which is immoral according to Kantian philosophy. However, Daisy is also immoral in this relationship. She knows about these affairs, yet she does not do anything to influence his decisions. She does not marry Tom for money, but so she can maintain her social status. Despite Daisy being under the pressures of society on women, the stereotypical woman is changing and she could use that to get out of these situations. ]]> 2021-01-29 18:29:18 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1141946883 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1142118900 This actually goes with the example in the video about infidelity. It is morally wrong for Tom to have a mistress. This is quite obvious, as this is a breech in the relationship of trust that him and Daisy had established, as well as this being a breech in the wellbeing of their child, who will likely have an absent parent based on all the time Tom has spent with Myrtle. If Daisy were to do this same thing, Tom could easily divorce her, the reason being a breech in the relationship of trust established. This is not only hypocrisy, but a disregard for Kantian ethics, as in a world where everyone was cheating on their spouse, only the women would receive the consequences according to the laws at the time. ]]> 2021-01-29 19:08:23 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1142118900 https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1142444043 Gatsby makes the choice to interrupt Mr. Klipspringer from sleeping so he can play the piano for everybody. He also chooses to have Mr. Klipspringer keep playing after he insists he has forgotten how to. 

(I don't have an analysis because I still don't really understand the videos after watching them each 3 or 4 times)]]> 2021-01-29 20:37:39 UTC https://padlet.com/mconfroy1/92ue7i13fmks340h/wish/1142444043