Open thread, Mar. 23 - Mar. 31, 2015

MrMind

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If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.

Notes for future OT posters:

1. Please add the 'open_thread' tag.

2. Check if there is an active Open Thread before posting a new one. (Immediately before; refresh the list-of-threads page before posting.)

3. Open Threads should be posted in Discussion, and not Main.

4. Open Threads should start on Monday, and end on Sunday.

I know a lot of you probably aren't all that interested in mainstream television, but I've noticed something in the 8th series of Doctor Who which might be somewhat relevant here. It seems the new Twelfth Doctor has a sort of Shut Up and Multiply utilitarian attitude. There have been several instances in the 8th series where he is faced with something like the fat man variation of the trolley problem and actually pushes the metaphorical fat man, even in situations that are less clear cut than the original problem. This might represent a step in the right direction for mainstream cultural acceptance of, or at least just exposure to quantitative moral reasoning instead of emotional. (Granted, the Doctor is far from a rational protagonist in many ways, but still, every little bit helps.)

Perhaps he just mainpulates Clara into being a person who cares alot about the living beings she happens to interact with, but still can make uncomfortable choices. This would be useful for him since she is supposed to save his lives over and over somewhere in time. He could easily "cheat" and look what consequences a given choice would have, since he has a time machine and a lot of spare time.

Or his basic values are alien to some of us.

11Jiro11y

I'd argue the opposite. The writer is so opposed to the idea of moral reasoning that he thinks that no normal human being would ever use it. However, he's trying to make the Doctor look alien. Something that nobody would ever do, but has a plausible-sounding justification, is ideal to show that the Doctor is an alien. Also, this explains why the show is so inconsistent on such things. The right thing to do when the moon is a giant egg and hatching has a chance of destroying the Earth is to kill it. It's one life against (billions * probability of the world being destroyed), which is at least one life against millions. The Doctor decided that what we should do (after giving a fake "free" choice to Clara) is to not kill the fat man^H^H^Hmoon. Instead we should take the risk of everyone dying. When you throw in things to make the Doctor look alien, you can just easily throw in a too-sentimental act as you can throw in a too-utilitarian act. In fact, the Doctor often acts as if he's in a TV show and is aware that million to one chances work nine times out of ten. You often see the Doctor say "I'm not going to doom innocents to save a greater number" and something saves everyone anyway, but you never see the Doctor say "I'm not going to doom innocents to save a greater number" and discover that since he didn't doom the innocents, the greater number died. (The Doctor does often accept and even act callous about inevitable death, but that's different from the case where he or a protagonist personally has to cause the death.)

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