When Crusoe observes the native cannibals visiting his island, what philosophical dilemma causes him to hesitate before attacking them?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: They wronged him in no way, so he doubts his right to judge people acting by their own custom.
Crusoe wrestles with a significant moral crisis regarding divine justice and natural law. He realizes that the cannibals do not view their practices as a sin and have no knowledge of Christian morality, making them no more guilty of murder than nations engaged in warfare. This rationalist, early Enlightenment debate restrains him from executing a preemptive strike until an innocent life is directly endangered.
Keep practicing
More Robinson Crusoe questions
- How does the native character Friday manage to escape from his captors, leading to his historic first encounter with Robinson Crusoe?
- Upon returning to England and Lisbon after his rescue, what economic surprise awaits Crusoe regarding his past business affairs?
- Karl Marx and subsequent Marxist literary critics have famously analyzed Robinson Crusoe's actions on the island as an archetypal illustrat…
- At the beginning of the novel, what specific advice does Robinson Crusoe's father give him regarding his future career and social standing?
- During his early seafaring adventures before being stranded on the island, Crusoe is captured by pirates from Sallee. What is his status du…
- When Crusoe realizes he is stranded on an uninhabited island, what mechanical and literary method does he adopt to track the passage of tim…