Moral Sainthood Presents Idiosyncrasies and Eccentricities - Essay Example

The author begins by showing the positive sides of moral saints and explains what may drive people to become one. She mentions that an individual can be a loving saint, serving other people wholeheartedly and openly, or a rational saint who sacrifices for the welfare of other people. She also argues that a person can be Utilitarian in his beliefs, reflecting the loving saint or a Kantian who on the other hand manifests the rational saint. In addition, the writer displays to the view of reader several real-life examples of what may be considered saints. Then, she lets her readers take a look at the lives of people such as Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Natasha Rostov, and Lambert Strether, people who are known for some characteristics which may not all be morally regarded but at the same time not considered immoral as well. She suggests that people choose to appreciate them and become like them as compared to morally perfect characters.

This is because she says that when one turns his eyes “toward lives that are dominated by explicitly moral commitments, one finds one’s self relived at the discovery of idiosyncrasies or eccentricities not quite in line with the picture of moral perfection.