The comedic genius made a surprising twist. The 1988 classic deviated from Allen’s original interests and delved deep into the unsolved problem since antiquity. Crimes and Misdemeanours is an epitome of the ongoing conflict regarding the moral values and their relativity. As the incarnations of the classic and the modern viewpoints on these central theme, Judah, Cliff, and their foils show how each individual adhering to the respective philosophies shall face consequence in the real world. By the plot, it is relatively easy to determine which side Allen stands by. Modern triumphs over classic; the thoughts of existential dilemmas, ethical relativism combined with the discrepancies of the ideal philosophers’ world and the real world dominates the overall course of events, leading to the contrasting destinies for the two main characters. Judah is a symbolism of moral relativism, an individual who lacks the basis of the ground ethics we believe in. His quote, “God is a luxury I can’t afford.” (Crimes and Misdemeanours) show his attitude extremely well. On his dilemma between the loving mistress versus the stable but tedious family life, he undergoes a serious existential crisis; he does possess some amount of moral obligations and guilt, but the price he had to pay is tremendous. Disbelieving the existence of a …show more content…
Since antiquity, what was right and what was wrong was a disputed subject, even being a major topic between Socrates and Thrasymachus in Plato’s Republic. Though the Socratic interpretation was dominant, there was a significant loophole in this interpretation: we didn’t know why the fundamental aspects of the restrictions we keep are absolute. There were no rational foundations to that the principles we adhere to were