ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the suggestion is discussed that insofar as examples convey a sense of seriousness, they achieve this through their inherent moral import. Understanding an example as an example of something involves morally loaded and morally differentiated reactions in accordance with what it is an example of. This is clearly seen where the example in question introduces a person (or a life); the chapter argues that examples can do this if they provide a glimpse into a story (in contrast to speculative scenarios such as the Trolley Problem). Further, it explores the respects in which the appeal of stories is connected to the humanity of their characters. Concepts that describe ways of relating to human beings, as opposed to (most strikingly) things, carry a distinctive moral load. Several examples from films or TV series are introduced here, in order to show that ways of relating to other humans as humans often stem from the dimension of physicality and bodily encounter that is fundamental to these relations. The concluding section identifies concern as that which is central to examples of stories, and which makes the difference between success and failure in introducing human beings, or persons.
