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The Dark Knight Book Vs Movie

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More Than Just a Comic Book
The Dark Knight is more than just a comic book movie. Analyzing the movie with the different schools of thought: utilitarianism, deontology, and Kantian Ethics, proves fruitful in the search for a deeper moral meaning. The movie explores the limits of the human spirit, and aims at the implications of placing a person in a no win situation. Analyzing the story from a kantian perspective allows a viewer to obtain more from the story rather than just entertainment.
In The Dark Knight there is a scene where a group of criminals and a group of Gotham citizens are on two seperate boats filled with explosives, and each boat has the detonator to blow up the opposite boat. The Joker imposes on the groups a hairy situation, …show more content…

For example, Alfred lies about a letter Rachel wrote to Bruce, Bruce and commissioner Gordon lie to Harvey Dent about their decision to save him, and the Joker lies to Batman to facilitate the corruption of Harvey Dent. Again applying the categorical imperative, would a world be acceptable if everyone lied, what are the implications in a world where lying is fact? So, once again the act of lying is immoral, and the Joker uses this tactic often to get what he wants. In the movie The Dark Knight, the Joker intentionally lies about the location of Harvey Dent and Rachel, knowing that Batman would choose to save Rachel over Harvey, so that he could corrupt Gotham’s “White Knight.” At the end of the film Two face is threatening Gordon’s family because they saved him instead of Rachel. Two Face says “You thought we could be decent men, in an indecent time, but you were wrong. The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world, is chance. Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Fair.” After this Batman lies to Harvey saying “What happened to Rachel wasn’t chance, we decided to act.” Why didn’t he just tell him the truth, that he went to save Rachel instead, that the Joker deceived them? Would it have really helped resolve the situation at all? Two face then shoots Batman, and when he goes to shoot Gordon’s son, Batman chooses to save Gordon and kills Harvey by knocking him off the building, which leads to another lie. Harvey goes on to …show more content…

Analyzing The Dark Knight with the different schools of thought, allows the viewer to reflect on the morals that they live by, and the ones that mean the most to them. In a world without ethics and corrupt individuals, Gotham needs a hero to turn the tides on the immoral.

References
Coit, C. (2016, February 15). “The 10 Best Movies That Deal With Kantian Ethics.” Taste of Cinema. Retrieved January 20, 2018, from http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2016/the-10-best-movies-that-deal-with-kantian-ethics
Noy, K. (Executive Producer) & Nolan, C. (Director). (2008). The Dark Knight [Motion Picture]. USA: Warner Brothers.
Walters, T. (2009). “The Dark Knight” | Issue 73 | Philosophy Now. Retrieved January 20, 2018. from https://philosophynow.org/issues/73/The_Dark_Knight
White, M. D. (2008). “Why Doesn't Batman Kill the Joker?” In W. Irwin & D. K. Johnson (Eds.), Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture: From Socrates to South Park, Hume to House (pp. 164-171). New York, NY: John Wiley &

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