
Motive, Moral Discourse, and Conflict in George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire
Jan 15, 2026
20:46
This is the recording of my presentation at the Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association 2011 conference, applying Aristotelian moral theory to reading George R.R. Martin's series Song of Ice and Fire.
In it, I argue that Martin articulates a essentially neo-Aristotelian view of human nature, characters, development, ethos and moral qualities, referencing selected events, characters, dialogues, monologues, and decisions from the narrative,
I focus upon four aspects of a neo-Aristotelian view of moral life, character, and discourse, namely:
community as sharing (koinonia) but also locus of conflict over moral qualities and judgments
motivational interplays between interests, desires, loyalties, and common goods
ethos reflected in both individual characters and houses
characters’ choice and development as matters of better or worse practical reasoning towards and about the variety of human goods.
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