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<p>Tolstoy’s <i>The Death of Ivan Ilyich</i> presents a profound examination of how conformity erodes moral life and how renewal becomes possible. This paper reads the novella as a philosophical case of moral collapse and recovery, integrating existential ethics with moral psychology. We reframe the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory as a moral-existential account, in which catalysts transform crises of conscience into a renewed moral life. Within this structure, Gerasim, Ivan’s young caretaker, functions as a catalyst and moral center. By accepting finitude and practicing unadorned care, he restores coherence where avoidance prevails. Ivan’s death exposes the emptiness beneath social success and opens a path to clarity through honest confrontation. We connect this vision to organizational life, where busyness, bureaucracy, and procedural thinking mirror Ivan’s mistaken ideals. We conclude by proposing a cyclical model of moral balance that links philosophy, literature, and management practice, showing how the Catalyst can trigger regression back to Avoidance if ignored and how Authenticity can still emerge within systems of disengagement.</p>

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A Life Most Terrible at Work: Moral Collapse and Ethical Renewal in The Death of Ivan Ilyich

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月6日

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  • Charles C. Woodard,
  • Irina T. Toteva,
  • Cassandra L. Ward

摘要

Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich presents a profound examination of how conformity erodes moral life and how renewal becomes possible. This paper reads the novella as a philosophical case of moral collapse and recovery, integrating existential ethics with moral psychology. We reframe the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory as a moral-existential account, in which catalysts transform crises of conscience into a renewed moral life. Within this structure, Gerasim, Ivan’s young caretaker, functions as a catalyst and moral center. By accepting finitude and practicing unadorned care, he restores coherence where avoidance prevails. Ivan’s death exposes the emptiness beneath social success and opens a path to clarity through honest confrontation. We connect this vision to organizational life, where busyness, bureaucracy, and procedural thinking mirror Ivan’s mistaken ideals. We conclude by proposing a cyclical model of moral balance that links philosophy, literature, and management practice, showing how the Catalyst can trigger regression back to Avoidance if ignored and how Authenticity can still emerge within systems of disengagement.