by Chris Alexion, Copyright March 09, 2006, all rights reserved. 372 views
The latest episode of 24 continued to highlight the two conflicting ethical perspectives of President Logan and his wife Martha. To briefly review, ethical philosophers have generally lined up behind two competing systems of morality: teleological ethics (of which utilitarianism is a major example) and deontological ethics (of which biblical theistic ethics would be a good example).
Logan took the utilitarian course, weighing the potential loss of thousands over his duty as host and even husband. He chose not to warn Russian president Subarov's motorcade of the planned terrorist attack–even after learning that Martha was also in the car. The attack occurred, but failed to harm Subarov, his wife, or Martha.
When Martha Logan reunited with her husband, she was understandably ticked off: "You didn't stand up to them, Charles." Logan admits that his decision was "a mistake," but soon new developments test his willingness to choose duty over utility. The vice-president advises Logan to put Los Angeles under martial law in order to have things under control before the next terrorist attacks occur.
So we have the old debate between freedom and security. And while the question of protection from terrorism is vital, we should also ask another. How far can we go before we become indistinguishable from the terrorists we're trying to defeat? Guarding against the bad guys only works as long as we're not the bad guys.
It was interesting to see Mike Novik, who waffled earlier, finally take a stand. When Mike objects that there's no proof that the plan would be necessary or even helpful–and that one simply can't declare martial law without Congress–the VP replies that they'll of course call it by a different name. The problem is that Logan starts to go along with this advice. And when Mike sees the president leaning dangerously in the wrong direction, he goes to the only person who can help: Martha Logan. Her reaction to the proposal is so different from her husband's that it's almost funny. When Mike breaks the news, she bursts out, "What? You can't just re-write the law!"
Mike knows that, and Martha knows that. But does President Logan truly get it? It'll be interesting to see how this pans out. And while we wait, we ought to remember Ben Franklin's warning: Those who jeopardize liberty to get security deserve neither.
1 • LHR • March 09, 2006 • 10:36 PM
I have enjoyed reading about the "24″ show! I'm looking forward to hearing more about it in the future. Oh, Benjamin Franklin had an interesting point.
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