Watchmen *SPOILER ALERT*

[alfrodull]

This is kind of a spinoff from a thread in the singles forum. I thought it'd be interesting to raise the issue here.

I'll wait a bit to post my own thoughts so people aren't influenced by the OP.

 

[Shyguyelite]

Hehe... I voted... Wait a minute! I'm not betraying my secret ballot! You won't be able to fire me, foreman! I'm not voting with that bright colored piece of paper!!!

Hold on! Everyone, USA!!

USA! USA! USA! USA!

Any way, I voted "I'm not sure if Ozymandias was right or not.", though now that I think about it, my vote was probably based upon bad reasoning.

My reason was simple: The future was not yet decided. On second thought though, I seem to recall Nixon in the war room, getting ready to launch, so mutually assured destruction was about to occur in the absence of Ozy.

In that case, I still don't know

If Ozy killing a few million would save billions, then I am certain some people would see Ozy's choice as the right thing to do. However, from my wikipedia readings (LOLROFL, eKnowledge FTW!!!), that brings up a possible ethical issue. If killing a million to save billions, or whatever numbers Watchmen tosses out, is the right thing to do, then wouldn't killing one man to harvest his organs to save a few also be the right thing to do?
The first thing that jumps out to me that is different is the scability. There is a limit to the number of lives that can be saved from harvesting one human's organs, and it is probably not in the same ratio as the lives that could be saved averting nuclear war.
Then what is the 'correct' ratio?
Etc.
I don't know.

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

It's utilitarian morality, which is a big problem I have with the movie.

 

[alfrodull]

It's utilitarian morality, which is a big problem I have with the movie.

I'm not sure the movie, and especially the graphic novels, come down on the utilitarian side. Ozymandias is portrayed unsympathetically...I mean, the very reference his name makes paints him as a bad guy whose efforts are futile. Rorsach, on the other hand, is held in a sympathetic light...Yes, he has mental problems and his extremist political views were meant to be taken as a product of this, but I think saying that his desire to tell the world at the end was painted as a "wrong" action is an oversimplification.

That said, I'm very utilitarian myself. I just don't think Ozy's plan was necessarily construed as the morally right one in the movie.

 

[Isambard]

^ None were. It can be argued any way as the last few scenes makes the sacrifice potentially pointless.