Read Chapter 3 And Watch Films Gone Baby Gone And Sleep

Read Chapter 3 And Watch The Films Gone Baby Gone And Sleepers Pi

Read chapter 3 and watch the films "Gone Baby Gone" and "Sleepers". Pick one and judge the main FINAL action as moral or immoral. Support your position by applying Kant's moral philosophy. 500 words minimum MLA format. Due on June 10th, NO LATER than at 11:50 pm. Minimum 3 sources from LIRN *Not applying Kant's Categorical Imperative results in an automatic F. The first premise is that a person acts morally if his or her conduct would, without condition, be the "right" conduct for any person in similar circumstances (the "First Maxim"). The second premise is that conduct is "right" if it treats others/yourself as ends in themselves/yourself and not as means to an end (the "Second Maxim"). The conclusion is that a person acts morally when he or she acts as if his or her conduct was establishing a universal law governing others in similar circumstances (the "Third Maxim").

Paper For Above instruction

In this paper, I will analyze the moral implications of the final actions presented in the film "Sleepers," applying Kant's moral philosophy to determine whether these actions are morally right or wrong. "Sleepers," directed by Barry Levinson, recounts the story of four childhood friends who, after experiencing traumatic events, act in ways that challenge conventional moral judgments, especially concerning justice and revenge. The film's climax involves the protagonists' decision to pursue retribution against their abusers, raising critical ethical questions deeply intertwined with Kantian principles.

Kantian ethics fundamentally emphasize that moral actions are those performed out of duty and adhere to universal maxims. According to Kant, the morality of an act depends not on its consequences but on whether it can be consistently willed as a universal law—act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law. Applying this to the final actions in "Sleepers," particularly the decision to punish the abusers, allows us to scrutinize whether those actions conform to Kantian morality.

The protagonists' final choice to confront and punish their abusers can be examined through Kant’s three maxims. The First Maxim states that a person acts morally if their conduct would be "the right" conduct for anyone in similar circumstances. In this context, whether seeking revenge aligns with this principle depends on whether such conduct can be universalized. If everyone were to take justice into their own hands, this would likely lead to chaos rather than moral order. Kantian ethics advocate for adherence to duty and rule-based morality rather than spontaneous revenge, suggesting that personal revenge may not qualify as moral, as it could not be universally adopted without contradiction.

The Second Maxim emphasizes treating others as ends and not merely as means. Revenge or punishment motivated solely by personal injury risk treating others as means to satisfying one’s desire for justice or retribution, which violates this principle. However, if the punishment is carried out within a framework of justice that respects the dignity and inherent worth of all individuals, then it aligns more closely with Kantian respect for persons.

The third Maxim involves acting as if one’s conduct establishes a universal law. If the act of seeking revenge is universalized, it would endorse a moral system based on retribution, which Kant himself critiques. Kant argues that moral law must be grounded in duty and reason, not in contingent emotional responses like revenge. Therefore, from a Kantian perspective, the final act of revenge by the characters does not qualify as moral because it cannot be willed into a universal law consistent with moral duty.

In conclusion, analyzing the final actions of "Sleepers" through Kant's moral philosophy suggests that acts driven solely by revenge do not meet the criteria of moral actions. Kantian ethics demands duties grounded in universal principles and respect for human dignity, which revenge undermines. While the characters’ motives are understandable, from a Kantian perspective, their actions are immoral because they lack the universality and respect necessary for moral morality, illustrating the tension between emotional justice and rational moral law.

References

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• Kant, Immanuel. (1785). Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Translated by Mary Gregor, Cambridge University Press, 1998.
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