Philosophical Themes in the Dark Knight
Autor: Sharon • November 5, 2017 • 1,055 Words (5 Pages) • 1,068 Views
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Many things that the Joker does in this movie can be called unethical. The way that he conducts business and treats people can be considered questionable. During one scene, the Joker says that there would be “tryouts” to be a part of his team. He breaks a pool stick and demands that the goons must fight each other and whoever is the last person to survive, gets to join. The Joker also blows up hospitals and causes a great deal of alarm in the city of Gotham. The Joker’s morals are very different compared to the other citizens’. The Joker seems to enjoy wreaking havoc and living in chaos. This is what one would call a dystopian society. Batman, trying to stop the Joker’s antics, hopes that one day, Gotham will no longer need a Batman. He wants there to be a perfect society, a utopia, but fails to realize that this is an impossible feat. He does not seem to understand that there is no such thing as a perfect world and there is always going to be somebody like the Joker who enjoys watching the world burn (in the Joker’s case, literally). Is the Joker really that crazy? Is he just someone who likes to cause trouble, or is there a bigger picture? Does he actually have a logical explanation for the things he does?
Based on whatever action Batman chose, or whatever action the Joker chose, determined the choices the other one would make and decide. Would this be considered free will or determinism? Both parties had the rights and the means to do whatever it was that they wanted. These philosophical issues that The Dark Knight represents - deontology and utilitarianism, consequentialism, ethics, utopias vs. dystopias, and determinism are very present in today’s society. Every person has options and every person has a moral compass. What matters is how the person chooses to act and the thought process behind their actions.
Works Cited
Cox, Damian, and Michael P. Levine. Thinking Through Film: Doing Philosophy, Watching Movies. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Print.
The Dark Knight. 2008. DVD.
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