Austen, Brontë, Eliot

Debate Questions

Mill on the Floss

• Agree or Disagree: Mill on the Floss suggests that there are innate psychological differences between men and women.

• Agree or Disagree: The novel privileges egoism (i.e., seeing one’s own interests / individual good as the basis of moral action) over a utilitarian philosophy (i.e., the greatest good for the greatest number / seeing morality as grounded in a common, social interest).

• Which would you agree with:
• The novel argues that an individual’s actions and decisions are causally determined by a chain of prior occurrences (i.e., Determinism). Free will is an illusion.
• The novel argues against a deterministic philosophy and suggests the necessity of free will as the basis of moral action.

• Agree or Disagree: The conclusion of the novel is appropriate and justifiable.

• Which would you agree with:
• Eliot’s views and philosophies as expressed in this novel are elitist and based on self-interest.
• Eliot’s views and ideas as expressed in this novel are based on a disinterested humanistic philosophy aimed at benefiting mankind as a whole.