deontology in movies

However, it is still unclear if Kant would deem Wigand’s actions moral because it is so hard to establish his intent. The following ontological movies (ie. His choice to save Dent sets forth a chain of events that leads to Dent becoming the notorious villain Two-Face, who is bent on revenge. The cliché usually says no, but reality is another story since it would have been unacceptable for the Mickey Cohen mob to be in complete control of the west coast for all the remaining years of his life. Deontology is a school of moral philosophy in which ethical behavior equals following rules. My profession doesn’t give the the ideal access to all the tools and databases that Dexter has working at Miami Metro Homicide. Batman’s intentions, his message and his symbol to inspire people who can change the system, was initially behind the wave of crime instead of inspiring more vigilantes, which would simply result in more chaos. A look at deontology and teleology in the context of Avengers: Infinity War. We now turn to Kantian ethics applied to the corporate world (something that perhaps is not done enough). While the Superman movies may appear at first to be pro-deontology, I would strongly argue they work more in favor of the utilitarian argument, because it shows us that only Superman, with his nearly limitless abilities, is able to afford the luxury of applying such strict deontological philosophy into his real-world fights with crime and still be believable. In the end, Adrian manages to prevent Dr. Manhattan from seeing that the energy device is actually a bomb capable of mass destruction, and Adrian sets a bomb off in NYC, making it look like Dr. Manhattan did it. Here are some other interesting examples of artificial sabotaging of utilitarian choices and/or romanticizing deontology by making unlikely victories happen. Deontology was mainly popularized by Immanuel Kant … Had the robots been programmed with the knowledge that humans value their freedom far more than robots thought, the robots never would have acted that way. These criteria are all part of the “code” that Dexter’s legendary police officer father taught him to ensure that Dexter never kills an innocent. Deontologists believe that the goal of moral philosophy should be to figure out the “rules” for living a moral life and that once people know those rules they should follow them. These solutions all go flying out the window in favor of the heart-warming thinking of deontologists, who hold the freedom of three people whose faces we can see over the lives of thousands of dead people whose faces we cannot see. In the movie, Watchmen, the ethical and moral views each superhero characterized in the dark and gloomy world of crime and sin makes us question which moral theory is the best to follow. This is one reason I enjoyed all eight seasons (and eagerly anticipate the 9th season) of 24. He operates outside of CTU protocol and disobeys orders from his superiors, even including orders given to him from the President. The scriptwriters don’t sugarcoat reality and send us the false message that deontology actually works when having to make extremely important decisions. Now, if you’re like me, then talking about politics is really boring and superfluous unless you make sense of it with movies and philosophy, two of the greatest things in the world. In today’s society, this question is hardly a hypothetical. Extreme deontologists are so prejudiced against this idea that many of them refuse to watch the show purely out of moral posturing. Hayek taught, moral codes have been built through the millennia via individual and group selection. (From Dexter season 2, “The Dark Defender”)Dexter portrays utilitarianism in a way that accurately demonstrates that utilitarian action indeed does far more good in the world than deontological inaction does, even when the utilitarian action seems almost intolerably gruesome. The main difference between deontology and consequentialism is that deontology focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves.Whereas, consequentialism focuses on the consequences of the action.. Deontology and consequentialism are two contrasting, normative ethical theories that determine the morality of an action. 6. At its core lie a number of fundamental ethical principles, which represent basic ethical values in which more specific ethical requirements can be grounded (Table 1). Deontology is a duty-based approach to decision making. Dexter is a captivating TV series about a serial killer (Dexter Morgan) who only kills serial killers who have already slipped through the criminal justice system via some lame technicality and who Dexter finds to be guilty beyond any doubt via hard physical evidence (whether the evidence is obtained legally or illegally). In the universe where what Dexter does is actually possible, Dexter is taking the best possible course of action given his position, his abilities, his stomach for it, etc. Here, action drives the moral decision. My DriveThru RPG Page. While I do believe most shows and movies operate under the assumption that the audience is utilitarian (even if unintentionally), not all do. At its core lie a number of fundamental ethical principles, which represent basic ethical values in which more specific ethical requirements can be grounded (Table 1).In other words, these basic ethical principles give rise to, and provide the justification for, more specific ethical duties. You see too many movies. He forces Batman to question his own message and symbol through his kidnapping of both Dawes and Dent. The chief characteristic of deontological theories is: (moral) right (one's duty, how one should act) is defined independently of (moral) good. It does not look at the habits or character of an individual making the choice or whether the consequences of an action would be considered right or wrong. Or, we learn that this tool (in addition to being abused) can only be maintained or wielded through great pain or suffering, such as in the Bourne movies. In other words, would one care to live in a world in which the only way to deter evil is to have our privacy invaded? They do know. Whether we romanticize deontology or misrepresent utilitarianism, the end result is the same. Thus, this is a non-consequential theory as the decision of whether an act is good or bad does not depend on its consequence. Insufficient input is the culprit. Dexter is taken by surprise by a poster on the wall of a comic book store depicting the “Bay Harbor Butcher” [Dexter] as a dark hero. In the movie I, Robot, the robots try to enslave humanity because they must protect humans from destroying the planet and each other (and killing a few humans in the process is acceptable to the robots because it means greater lifespan for the greatest number of people). Of course, this isn’t really true since they don’t do things to people at whim every time they’re upset, such as pouring acid on them or taking power drills to peoples’ faces. Your email address will not be published. In moral philosophy, deontological ethics or deontology (from Greek: δέον, 'obligation, duty' + λόγος, 'study') is the normative ethical theory that the morality of an action should be based on whether that action itself is right or wrong under a series of rules, rather than based on the consequences of the action. He sees the hollowness of his actions and even attempts suicide a number of times. One can also apply Kantian ethics to Wigand’s motives. Here, the categorical imperative is questioned (i.e. I want to see him win because he does whatever it takes to achieve the best possible outcome. Enter your search in the box below. The Dark Knight presents two deontological "heroes" at the beginning of the movie: the Dark Knight and the White Knight, Batman and Harvey Dent. The ethics of Immanuel Kant, also called Deontological ethics, came as a challenge to the utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham (i.e. Chances are, the world will never be in a position to murder one person in order to save billions from every disease on the planet. We ought to let the entire world perish as long as we did the right thing, because if we can’t behave up to some certain standard that deontologists arbitrarily define, the human race isn’t worth saving, yadda yadda yadda. Threads – Really not that much to do with anything I teach, but this is simply the most harrowing movie I’ve ever seen. But somehow, against odds that are beyond impossible, the protagonist manages to have it both ways, saving the world while still managing to hold onto principles. But proving Dexter is making the incorrect choice by killing those who would kill hundreds more? Privacy Policy (http://www.tasteofcinema.com/privacy-notice-and-cookies/) Theme by, Taste of Cinema - Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists, The 10 Best Movies That Deal With Kantian Ethics, Taste of Cinema – Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists. Jack Bauer always does what it takes to achieve the best possible result for the greatest number of people. Good luck, because doing a wrong thing and doing an incorrect thing are two completely different concepts. 1. Briefly put, deontologists contend that the ethics of an action are contained within the … A deontological approach to the decision, by contrast, might insist that a state should go to war if and only if some grave principle has been violated — for example, when a state invades another state without just cause, or when a genocide is taking place. Unless the scriptwriters are looking to win an Academy Award, in which case the scriptwriters should choose an ending that is either confusing or depressing. Dexter does make some mistakes along the way, but these mistakes are due to human error rather than flaws in his code, just as our own criminal justice system’s biggest flaw is that it us run by humans prone to error and susceptible to corruption (not to mention limitations of the system, such as limited capacity in prisons, how long it takes and how much money it costs for a trial to take place, or the number of guilty who go free). Deontology is often associated with philosopher Immanuel Kant. In these and many other examples in the series, utilitarianism is clearly the superior strategy.So is deontology necessarily a bad moral code? Judah’s response after pondering the situation is to have her killed, and pin the murder on a lifelong criminal, who he has never met. Absolutely not: But no matter. Rather than warning us to not entrust ourselves to “greatest possible good” calculations, the true warning this movie sends is to not entrust ourselves to these calculations prematurely, before computers and robots have sufficiently evolved in their understanding of us. It is sometimes described as duty-, obligation-, or rule-based ethics. During the attack, the gun accidentally fires twice, and Dr. Myrick is conveniently shot and killed. “Groundhog Day” presents the two ends of Kantian ethics. I could write an almost identical paragraph about the movie Eagle Eye. We can’t criticize Dexter’s code simply because it is imperfect, because the justice system is imperfect too. Deontology and ethical relativism. Do ends justify the means? More on that later. Deontological ethics, in philosophy, ethical theories that place special emphasis on the relationship between duty and the morality of human actions. Movies are only good if the underdog wins, and deontologists make the best underdogs since it’s so easy to make empathy for billions seem so evil and to make empathy for just one person seem so admirable. 1. vote. While I would be thoroughly entertained by a movie like that, I am simultaneously repelled by the idiotic message it knowingly or unknowingly attempts to send, and this creates a craving inside of me for a different kind of excitement – one of realism. I don’t believe I am the only person out there who is tired of seeing the protagonist win because he is really good at positive thinking. Mostly based on societal or religious norms, our sense of attributing moral acceptance to certain actions is an exciting field of study in moral philosophy. And as for enslaving the precogs, what about just asking the precogs to voluntarily come in and predict murders at random times during the week? The theory of deontology states we are morally obligated to act in accordance with a certain set of principles and rules regardless of outcome. In both of these movies, we have great tools or weapons that ought to do society a lot of good, but instead are abused (or in the Bourne movies, agents lose themselves to become a weapon). In movies that favor the deontologist (especially movies for children), there is no need for deontologists to get their hands dirty – Satan is always there to murder the bad guy for them. Furthermore, an action is good if it can be universalized, meaning if one can say that if one can live in a world where everyone does the aforementioned action all the time, it is a good action. 11 1 1 bronze badge. Deontology definition: the branch of ethics dealing with duty , moral obligation , and moral commitment | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Wigand’s actions led to numerous lawsuits being filed, and his actions bring up a number of important questions relating to Kantian ethics. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989, Woody Allen). those concerned with the nature of existence and reality) were discussed in a podcast discussion with the consciousness theorist Anthony Peake. After “Interiors”, his 1978 follow-up to “Annie Hall”, he began to delve deeper into darker subject matters. The main difference that deontologists focus on (or should focus on if they want their argument to sound more important than it really is) is the idea of social contract, which is what gives local, state and national laws (and the ruling government) authority that everyone is expected to respect. Teleology tends to focus more the consequences of the situation. The Joker’s intention is to question ethics on a whole and bring about a sense of nihilism. You may search for anything in the record including areas of philosophy, directors and names of films What if one of those people who died in NYC would have gone on to bring about world peace without setting off any bombs?” However, this movie presents us with a scenario where we can actually reject this argument, because both Adrian and Dr. Manhattan (who, in the end, neither condones nor condemns Adrian’s actions) are virtually gods in their combined knowledge, wisdom and intelligence. ... Movie Watcher. Kant, a central figure in the world of philosophy and ethics, “argued that morality must ultimately be grounded in the concept of duty, or obligations that humans have to one another, and … A common example of the artificial sabotaging consequences of utilitarian choices would be the storyline that involves a very powerful tool that the government discovers or develops but ends up being abused by someone high up who is corrupt, such as in Enemy of the State. He steals, drinks heavily, drives recklessly, seduces the town’s women, and attempts to manipulate his attractive coworker, Rita (Andie MacDowell), by finding out more and more about her each day. In Hollywood, there is no need to make intelligent decisions as long as scriptwriters are there to save the day1. Dr. Manhattan leaves Earth so that the sacrifice of millions will not be in vain, and only Rorschach refuses to go along with the lie (“Never compromise, even in the face of Armageddon”) and is killed by Dr. Manhattan before he can tell anyone his story. Finally, one has a responsibility to be morally good and one must choose to freely commit morally good acts. Wrong. Superman is also quite the deontologist, although anyone who can deflect a bullet with an eyeball is a true exception to the rule that deontological principles lose when applied in the real world. There simply isn’t the abundant supply of extremely sick serial killers who’ve slipped through the system all conveniently located in Miami (or in any local area) as is the case in Dexter’s Miami. Or listen to both parts in YouTube, below. 1. Kant does not consider the consequences as important as the intent behind the action. Even if I did have that kind of access, I don’t have the stomach to kill people. But for my money, Marvel Studios has been downright daring in raising difficult, and very adult, moral dilemmas. Guide to philosophy relevant films. He eventually decides to make the lives of the townspeople better through his actions. In other words, these basic ethical principles give rise to, and provide the justification for, more specific ethical duties. the greatest good for the greatest number of people) during the mid to late 18th century. Most of us don’t give the warm feeling in our heart much thought, because we are happy that the protagonist was able to win playing with a set of rules that wouldn’t stand a chance in real life. It offers motivation. The only way to save the billions of the world was to sacrifice a few million people with a bomb thought to be set off by the worst enemy the world could possibly imagine – an enemy powerful enough to squash an entire world with a single thought. Spoiler alert: I put the movie title in the beginning of each point. (Listen closely - you'll see that submitting to law is a key theme in the Batman movies). His intention in saving Dent would have resulted there to no longer being a need for Batman, and would help initiate a reform within the corrupt city government. My Amazon Author Page. He makes Wayne choose between himself as a man and what he stands for as Batman. In reality, people who hold obstinately strong to their principles (deontologists) usually die, and the people who do what needs to be done in order to beat the bad guys (utilitarians) end up beating the bad guys. One may come away from this film thinking, “okay, so being non-virtuous really does pay off”. 0answers 50 views An attempt at reconstructing the reasoning behind Kant's universalization principle. While some might jump all the way out of their sofas, I would only jump half-way. A Clockwork Orange (1971, Stanley Kubrick) My Paizo Page. In this thought-provoking film, Susan Sarandon plays Sister Helen Prejean, a nun who counsels convicted killer Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn). Of these, consequentialism determines the rightness … When it is finally publicly exposed that the future precogs see is not always the only possible future (and to make it worse, a government official exploited this fact to their own advantage in order to get away with murder), the entire Department of PreCrime is completely shut down before it can be implemented on a national scale. Dr. Manhattan agrees that Adrian’s plan did achieve peace, even if the peace is based on a lie. The Joker represents the antithesis to Kantian ethics. Deontology or the ethical side of human morals is an interesting topic to explore by reading through various books or discussing it in the circle of friends. Deontology is a specific approach to ethics. The term deontology is derived from the Greek deon, “duty,” and logos, “science.”. Then you have tragedy.”, Judah Rosenthal: “But that’s fiction. I could barely stomach the dissecting of frogs in high school biology. We often conclude that something is good or bad simply because it is morally correct or wrong. Certainly a country’s justice system put in place by the people has more legitimacy than a vigilante. The fact that it’s set in the in Sheffield in the 1980s is scary enough for starters, and it gets worse as it imagines what a real life nuclear holocaust would actually be like. The evidence that Dexter is able to gather on people on his own is always so quick and easy to find, and it is always so thoroughly damning in showing the perpetrator’s guilt and intent to kill again. Pro-utilitarian movies are harder to find, but they’re out there: In the movie Watchmen, Adrian (super fast, super strong and super smart superhero-turned-billionaire) works with the ultimate superhero, Dr. Manhattan (who is able to manipulate matter) to create a self-sustaining energy source in a time of terrible world tension, on the brink of world nuclear war. He appeared on 60 Minutes and stated how the tobacco company Brown & Williamson increased the amount of nicotine in their cigarettes to make them more addictive. Fans of Woody Allen know that there is always a philosophical edge to his films. Deontology focuses on the “principle of the matter” or the actions. It is tempting to blame utilitarianism for the robots’ evil actions since V.I.K.I.’s equation was obviously a mathematical representation of utilitarianism (greatest possible good for the greatest number of people), but it is not utilitarianism that makes robots the bad guys. Batman acted morally, according to Kant. Superhero movies are often dismissed as teen adventure flicks writ large. And what subject can be darker than murder? Batman faces the daunting decision of having to choose between saving the love of his life, Rachel Dawes, or the person who may have the ability to become the true savior of Gotham, Harvey Dent. At the end of the movie, we are jumping out of our sofas because the protagonist has his or her cake and eats it too, completely circumventing the idea of trade-off / opportunity cost. Taste of Cinema - Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists > Lists > Film Lists > The 10 Best Movies That Deal With Kantian Ethics The 10 Best Movies That Deal With Kantian Ethics. Of course, this relies upon the assumption that Dexter’s code saves far, far, FAR more lives than it costs, but this seems to be the case: sometimes his killing of just one sicko saves 30, 50 or 100 rapes/murders. However, during the final scene as Judah and Allen’s character sit discussing Judah’s crime (in the form of a movie idea), Allen’s character subverts Judah’s idea of rationalization. And/or what about changing protocols so that when a crime is predicted, law enforcement waits until the crime is actually committed before arresting the perpetrator? Batman uses enhanced, obtrusive monitoring software. He refuses to kill anyone, even those who plot to kill billions of innocent people. All rights reserved. Deontological (or "duty-based") Ethics 1. It’s also worth noting the cop-out taken at the end of the movie: since a true deontologist is incapable of killing bad guys (but we’re supposed to want Dr. Myrick to die at the end), Guy is attacked by one of Dr. Myrick’s bodyguards. Cliff Stern: “Here’s what I would do. I wonder how many of these Dexter-rejecting deontologists have watched Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, any of the Saw movies, or any of the Jason or Freddy movies? That’s movies. Deontological theories necessarily generate "categorical imperatives" (that is, duties independent of any theory of good). Importance Of Deontological Ethics In The Movie Robot 820 Words | 4 Pages. Finally, the means by which Batman is able to defeat the Joker presents a Kantian ethical dilemma. [If you haven’t seen Dexter, do not read this! When considering the philosophy of Kant, one must think about a number of his principles. My Dungeon Masters Guild Page.

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