the philosophy of Jack Bauer (poo-losophy)
I think Jack Bauer is pretty great, the pinnicle of secular man's evolution. Nevertheless, something needs to be said. Jack Bauer is a utilitarian. Utilitarianism is the ethical that states people should act in such a way to maximize happiness for the greatest number of people. The way to judge an action is how much happiness it produces, not what type of action it is. So you can act in such a way to make some people suffer, as long as you're producing happiness for others that outweighs the suffering. You may find it surprising that this is the predominant moral theory in western politics.
Enter Jack Bauer. He tortues people without knowing for sure if they're a terrorist, he'll allow innocent people to die in order to extract info from criminals, he'll even break his word, all in the name of saving "thousands of lives." So is Jack Bauer still a moral guy? I'm not sure. I'm unconfortable praising his morality, but whatever. What I'm most unconfortable with is everyone adopting an Utilitarian ethical stance because Jack Bauer is so damn cool. We still need to be critical, even if it is Jack.
posted by amac @ 3:03 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
hey russell, good quote. and great links. i read them, and others should too.
i didn't agree with them totally.
i think the likelihood of recieving bad info is not good reason to stop torture in a "ticking bomb" situation. if that person is the only avenue, and are known to be complicit, then any percentage of obtaining info should be enough to go through with the torture.
-i was in more agreement with the other argument about irreparable damage to the psyche's of both parties. though i'm more concerned with the actual act, not the effects. here's what i'm thinking, but please challenge it if you're up for it, i might be way off.
i do believe torture is wrong though. it's wrong not because of its effects, but because the act is ethically dehumanizing. it turns governments into mere agents for protecting citizens, and not for upholding any creed to the value of the human. engaging in torture puts a government in the same darwinistic mindset as the terrorist who will engage in any act to achieve his ends. governments should not place their people before what they stand for, otherwise they're bound to fail in fulfilling them. i.e. peace
To be entirely not serious for a moment: the one time that Jack Bauer was torturing that dude in the car in season one (when he died of the heart attack) it turns out he was right :P
But granted, utilitarianism when taken to it's full logical extent does create rationale for some rather harsh and cruel behaviour. That is why David Palmer is so much more of the man than Jack Bauer.
Do you know the difference between dying for something and dying for nothing?
Jack does, although I'd agree that he's pretty utilitarian. (I've seen the first 4 eps of day 6 so far...)
That was a quote from ep1 of Day 6. By the grace of God I do know the difference - the same question could be asked about living, seeing as neither is an end in life!
I think your missing th mark slightly Andrew with this poolosophy....
True, secular ideals tend to maximize happiness for the greatest number of people but really we need to define happiness. My understanding of the Bauer approach essentially focuses on the security and well being for the greatest number of ppl.
For example, consider violence
...community, gang, war, family ...
as i measure exposure to it i consider variable of reaction time, coping with an aversive stimulus and the coping faculties we then employ. I disagree with "irreparable damage to the psyche's" part. I think exposure builds our resilience to future stressors...ideally though, is it ethical to purposefully manipulate conditions to manufacture torturous extraction of information. I see where you are going with your challenge but there is no clear cut theory or whatever....behind this stuff. Our American government stands for the benefit of the state and yeah, the survival of the fittest are expected to prevail in the face of conflict and adversity.
True, when life seems out of control we humans feel the need to exert control over our environment allowing some sort of satisfaction/comfort when resources run bear...
Yeah, i think it our responsibility to critically asses these theories that govern human behavior in our attempt to better understand the 'other'...good exercise!
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