Question of Morality
For the past few days I have been re-watching the tv show The Pretender. While it has been a complete hoot to go back and watch all the episodes (they aired from 1996-2000, when I was 10-14) it has also made me think upon a question of morality that the entire premise of the show is based on.
The basic introduction to the show is: In 1963 a corporation known as The Center isolated a young Pretender named Jarod and exploited his genius for their research. And then, one day their Pretender ran away.
The Center trained a very young Jarod to become anyone they wanted him to be - to do anything they wanted him to do. Very much a "Catch Me if You Can" premise. While in the early stages some of Jarod's findings were used to help people, solve crisis situations, they were also sold to the highest bidder (other governments, our government, criminal syndicates, etc) who did horrible and downright evil things with them. When he was around 30 Jarod escaped The Center and traveled around the country trying to make up for the wrongs that have been done to people (presumably as penitence) and leading The Center and their merry band of gun-totting henchmen on a chase. Throughout the entire show Jarod keeps asking "how many people died because of what I thought up?"
To me this hard to digest; no one died because of what he thought up, people died because someone took his ideas and twisted them into horrible real life situations for their own gain. So, my question becomes is it his fault for coming up with the ideas or their fault for enacting them for their own greed? Should he feel sorrow and grief that this ideas and simulations were used in a such a manner? I think both sides would say yes, but, should he feel personally responsible because they were his thoughts?
I believe that the creators of the atomic bomb felt much the same way that Jarod does - even though they did not create the atomic bomb to be dropped in Japan they felt responsible because it was their creation in the first place. Where does the blame lie? To whom does the blame and subsequent guilt belong? The person who created or the person who acted?
The basic introduction to the show is: In 1963 a corporation known as The Center isolated a young Pretender named Jarod and exploited his genius for their research. And then, one day their Pretender ran away.
The Center trained a very young Jarod to become anyone they wanted him to be - to do anything they wanted him to do. Very much a "Catch Me if You Can" premise. While in the early stages some of Jarod's findings were used to help people, solve crisis situations, they were also sold to the highest bidder (other governments, our government, criminal syndicates, etc) who did horrible and downright evil things with them. When he was around 30 Jarod escaped The Center and traveled around the country trying to make up for the wrongs that have been done to people (presumably as penitence) and leading The Center and their merry band of gun-totting henchmen on a chase. Throughout the entire show Jarod keeps asking "how many people died because of what I thought up?"
To me this hard to digest; no one died because of what he thought up, people died because someone took his ideas and twisted them into horrible real life situations for their own gain. So, my question becomes is it his fault for coming up with the ideas or their fault for enacting them for their own greed? Should he feel sorrow and grief that this ideas and simulations were used in a such a manner? I think both sides would say yes, but, should he feel personally responsible because they were his thoughts?
I believe that the creators of the atomic bomb felt much the same way that Jarod does - even though they did not create the atomic bomb to be dropped in Japan they felt responsible because it was their creation in the first place. Where does the blame lie? To whom does the blame and subsequent guilt belong? The person who created or the person who acted?
posted by Rebecca at 7:57 AM
3 Comments:
From an intellectual standpoint, I have to agree that the moral blame lies with the doer, rather than the thinker. However, people (even geniuses) tend to be as much emotional beings as intellectual ones.
From an emotional standpoint, I can easily see the thinker holding themselves responsible. After all, they were the true originator of the plan; without them, the event would not have occurred. The doer, conversely, merely implemented the idea (which could have been done by any number of doers).
I knew the son of one of the atomic bomb creators, while growing up on Lummi. Although he never spoke of it openly, it was clear that he carried a tremendous emotional burden over the deaths his father's research caused. And that was one generation down.
Yes, the doers have the responsibility for their actions, but the creator of those ideas has some responsibility as well. The designers of the atom bomb did design it to blow people up. They knew what they were doing, and some feel that it was worth it, because even though thousands of people died, many more would have died if they fought a conventional war.
Do gun makers have a responsibility knowing that criminals use their products to kill people? Does the pharmaceutical company have a responsibility to the thousands of people addicted to prescription drugs. It may not have been the intended purpose, to addict, but it is the result. What about the tobacco companies. THey intend to addict people, fully knowing it will shorten their lives, and torment people.
Mom, the main difference is that those companies are "doers" not just creators. They actually made the products and distributed them. With the creators of the atom bomb they were the creators, not the distributers. In fact many of the participants in the Manhattan Project signed and sent petitions to the government pleading with them not to use it again. I guess I'm talking about theory vs practice. Does the blame fall on the person who had the theory or the person who put the theory into practice.
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