„Gute Taten, das bedeutet Ruin!“ – Zur Moralkritik in Bertolt Brechts Theaterstück "Der gute Mensch von Sezuan"

In his parable play Der gute Mensch von Sezuan [The Good Person of Szechwan] Bertolt Brecht raises the question whether good deeds and unselfish generosity can be unconditionally appreciated in the market-oriented society in which the protagonist Shen Te lives. Her altruistic acts of charity are shamelessly exploited by others and push her toward financial ruin. Shen Te’s dilemma: Goodness seems incompatible with economic survival in a capitalist society. While studies of the socio-economic forces and the exploitation of the individual in Brecht’s drama from Marxist and other perspectives are readily available, the author’s complex dramaturgical debunking of “goodness” as a viable moral principle in a modern industrial society still warrants closer examination. This study aims to offer clarification on Brecht‘s literary treatment of “goodness” within the context of philosophical thought. Specifically, it analyzes how Brecht probes the value and implications of “goodness” and social applicability in a variety of normative ethical contexts, such as deontological, eudemonistic, utilitarian, and Mohist thought. Brecht’s critical explorations, textual destabilizations, and exposure of different forms of moral hollowness also reveal his own intellectual struggle to find an acceptable solution to the ongoing dilemma that he puts forward in his still timely play.