Friday, April 1, 2016

The movie Source Code presents some interesting ethical dilemmas that pose the question who decides what's right and wrong.  Most humans have a strong innate desire to do whatever is going to have the best outcome for them.  Humans are only out to please themselves.  In this movie we see many examples of humans facing ethical dilemmas and choosing the outcome that will best benefit themselves.  
    The movies Source Code tells the story of Colter Stevens, a US army helicopter pilot whose mind has been seized by Dr. Rutledge so he can use it for his new program, Source Code.  Dr. Rutledge and his team tell Stevens he will be placed in an alternate time line for the last eight minute of someone's life in order to find out who bombed a train. This causes emotional stress for Stevens because he is meeting and meeting people again who have already died in the train bombing.  He must also trust the scientists who are giving him his orders even though he had never met him.  Stevens is placed in a situation where he doesn’t know or trust anybody.  Due to this he must rely on his own morals and values to get through the difficult task he is being presented with.  When he has finally completed the mission and discovered the identity of the bomber, his moral compass directs him to go one step further and attempt to save the people on the train.  He asks Colleen Goodwin, the air force captain who has been helping Dr. Rutledge, to end his life because he doesn’t want his mind to be used without his will.  Both Stevens and Goodwin are now presented with moral dilemmas  Stevens could save all of the people on the train but he would be risking his life.  Goodwin could end Stevens life but she would be shutting down a program that could save millions just to fulfill Stevens wish.  When both of them are coming to a decision they have to determine what they believe is right and go with it.  In such a split second decision they must use their already determined morals to make the right choice.  In my opinion both of them make choices based on how it would affect themselves.  Stevens chooses to save as many people as possible regardless of his own life.  He thinks that he would be more fulfilled if he attempted to save the people, instead of being okay with living his life and knowing they died.  Goodwin makes a decision based out of duty to Stevens.  She knows she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she doesn’t fulfill the man's dying wish even if it means sacrificing the chance to save a lot of lives.  One of humanity’s greatest weaknesses is the inability to detach from oneselves needs.  Humans will always make decisions out of selfish needs.  We have a survival need that tells us that whatever will be right for us is the right decision. 

1 comment:

  1. Do you think that humans ever have the capacity to exhibit virtue ethics for the sake of virtue?

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