I’m gonna unlist these two posts since it turns out I had misunderstood consequentialist ethics.
I enjoyed the 2016 space movie Passengers. It was hated online because the character Jim Preston does something very cruel and selfish but the movie tries to redeem him and his choice, and presents him as a sympathetic viewpoint character. And I agree with the criticism.
I like space movies so I saw it anyway. The way I managed to get over it, and to get to enjoy the movie, was by just not consider the character very redeemed. Movies can have villains. He is just a villain whom I could fear and root against and I could get over (or not fall for) the movie’s editing decisions and soundtrack cues and the decisions of other characters. I was going against the obvious intent of the movie, I was “changing it” in my li’l viewer head, but the only “edit” I needed to do was to let myself feel the way I felt about Jim (creeped out) instead of trying to contort my brain and heart into going where the movie wanted me to go.
I’ve seen several people suggest an edit of the movie where Jim’s choice is presented later and not presented as sympathetically. Sure. But I didn’t need that. He was creepy enough already.
Earlier today, I was writing about consequentialist ethics, and then tonight something struck me. It both explained the movie (the “what the heck were they thinking making this”) and invalidated some of the criticism. It’s this: If Jim hadn’t done The Horrible Thing, everyone on the space ship would’ve died. By the yardstick of consequentialist ethics, then, he is 100% redeemed.
(That thought never entered my mind until now, six years later, because I think consequentialist ethics are so wack and wrong.)
Now, if the movie makers are a bunch of utilitarians, that explains everything.
And to the subset of critics who are utilitarians, they can’t complain. He didn’t do anything wrong from an utilitarian standpoint. He saved the girl and everyone else on board with what he did.
“But the movie didn’t have to give him that redemption! You realize that movies can give him any ending, not just this redemptive one. What he did was inherently wrong and selfish!” you might add. If you’re not a utilitarian. And I’m not either so I’m right there with you.
But if you are a utilitarian, there is no “inherently”. It’s all about the consequences.
That’s right! Slagging on utilitarians via talking about space movies!