Philosophical blindness: a hypothetical understanding of ethicsIn the novel Blindness (1997) by José Saramago, readers discover a strange world where the entire population has been affected by an epidemic of blindness. Strangely enough, a main character, the doctor's wife, is presented in the plot as the only person immune to blindness. Each reader absorbs in one way or another the struggles exhibited by each character throughout the novel and reflects on what life would be like under such circumstances. The struggles that the characters depict throughout the epidemic lead readers to philosophical questioning in order to understand how such a tragedy would be possible. Of course, the main difference between the philosophy expounded in Blindness and real-world philosophy would be the ethical value and moral choices people might make living in a blind world, rather than the choices made in a world where every movement and every action is judged. Philosophy is moderately explained in Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein's book Plato and Platypus Walk into a Bar (2008), where the various foundations of philosophy are exposed to readers. By understanding this book, blindness becomes a hypothetical basis for new questions about life. The philosophical foundations of ethics, as explained in Plato and Platypus Walk into a Bar, are used to understand the moral limits set in blindness. Ultimately, the true meaning of what is considered "good" versus what is considered "bad" is reflected through the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." do. " Yet all of this is put into perspective through what is supposed to be a world where everyone is able to see and judge others according to...... middle of paper ...... explore what defines ethics and moral values, yet the explanations, like most philosophies, lack evidence. Regardless, even a hypothetical situation such as a blindness epidemic could cause people to cross the fine line between good and evil. Saramago used blindness as an excuse for people to behave immorally, again the doctor's wife had vision throughout the story and always made unethical choices. The idea of ​​making morally bad decisions because no one is watching has been proven wrong, because every time, the last person to truly define what actions are right or wrong is the person who took the actions. Works Cited Cathcart, Thomas and Klein, Daniel. Plato and Platypus enter a bar: understanding philosophy through jokes. New York: Penguin Books, 2008. Saramago, José. Blindness. Great Britain: The Harvill Press, 1997.