Ethical Theories, Essay Example

Crimes and Misdemeanors is film produced by Woody Allen and it comprises two stories that are closely linked. The first story is about Judah, a rich ophthalmologist and a married man. He is involved in an extra-marital affair with Dolores. When Dolores finds out that Judah is committed to his wife and will not leave her, she threatens to reveal the affair and other corrupt dealings that Judah is involved in unless he divorces his wife. To solve his predicament, Judah hires his criminal brother Jack to kill Dolores in order to hide his secrets. The second story is about Cliff, a disastrous filmmaker who is in a miserable marriage. In the process of producing a documentary about a prominent media personality known as Lester, he gets involved with Halley, a network producer. Halley refuses Cliff’s advances due to his marital status, but after getting separated from his wife, he finds out that Halley is involved with Lester. In the entire film, discussions come up regarding the role of God in determining ethical values and if the world could be devoid of ethics without God. At the end of the movie, Cliff and Judah meet, and Judah gives an unidentified version of the story about the murder of Dolores as if it can form a plot for a film. It becomes evident that Judah was not held responsible for the murder, but was plagued with indefinite guilt.

Crimes and Misdemeanors is an enjoyable film to watch and facilitated me to reflect on ethical principles especially in the acts of Judah. It also gave me a chance to consider metaethica issues. The movie offers a chance to reflect on normative issues in ethics as shown by the killing of Dolores and Judah’s moral responsibility or the lack of it. It is clear that Judah exhibits egotism because he is only interested in his welfare and goes to the point of having Dolores killed in order to preserve his marriage. It is possible that Judah has made the assumption that there is no moral deciding agent because if there was one, he would not have a prosperous life or would have been punished. Dolores also exhibits egotism because she is only interested in having Judah. She does not consider the implications of blackmailing Judah into divorcing his wife. In this film, I was able to consider whether ethical issues are objective; that is they are not reliant on the actor, or subjective; they rely on the actor. In Judah’s case, he takes the subjective stance that ethical issues are dependent on him instead of an external authority such as God or the society. Judah’s existentialist view is also highlighted by the imaginary conversation he has with Ben before giving instructions to Jack to go ahead with the murder of Dolores. When Ben tells Judah that it is a human life and he does not believe that God sees, Judah replies that God is a comfort he cannot afford. When the question of law comes up in the conversation, Judah says that it is of no good if it denies him justice. He asks himself if Dolores’s acts are just, and this makes him make the call to Jack. Judah’s arguments and deeds highlight the existentialist view that the world is devoid of morality and is governed by violence, selfishness and moral confusion.

After realizing that he will not be punished for the murder of Dolores, Judah is consumed by guilt and goes to the point of questioning his morality and faith. In his conversations with Ben, a blind rabbi, Ben outlines two religious philosophies that are highlighted in the movie but are in opposition. From Judah’s perspective, the world is harsh, pitiless and is devoid of any values, while Ben presents a philosophy of having real meaning in life, moral structure and forgiveness, and a higher authority otherwise there will be no point in life. In this movie, Judah stands for the existentialist philosophy of religion, which means that the world is devoid of ethics and values and religion is just an illusion. Ben rabbi presents a different view because he has true faith. The realization that his life will continue comfortably even after his crime presents moral relativism in that there is no collective moral truths. In the flashback where Judah revisits his childhood home, the conflict between what is morally right and moral relativism is brought out. During a dinner gathering, Judah introduces the question of morality regarding murder. From is father’s opinion, murder is punishable, but according to aunt May who has no believe in a moral structure, murder is not punishable so long as ones is not caught or is nor disturbed by the act. She uses the example of Hitler to support her view by saying that if the Nazis had won the war, children will have a different view of history. His further defends his faith by saying that he prefers to believe in God rather than the truth advocated for by aunt May. From this scene, Judah’s father presents teleological ethics, while aunt may presents egoism and moral relativism.

Another ethical issue that is handled shallowly in the film, but points to the moral dilemma in the film is about Cliff’s sister. She is a widowed woman who is having challenges placing an advertisement in the newspaper. Her friend informs her of an eligible bachelor, but the only problem is that he is in jail for “nothing terrible”. She reveals that the crime he committed is insider trading. Considering that Judah had committed the same crimes, but did not face the consequences because he silenced Dolores, calling the crime nothing terrible is an example of a moral relativism in the film. Personally I think that Judah should also be in jail for the crime, but the moral relativism in the film facilitates such acts.

From my perspective, moral relativism is highlighted by how the society rewards the two filmmakers. According to Cliff, Lester’s productions, which are comedies, are “submental”. This is opposite to the documentaries that Cliff handles because they dwell on serious issues that affect society such as harmful wastes and starving kids. Lester’s efforts are rewarded with money and fame, while Cliff is a struggling filmmaker who is forced to seek employment from Lester. The documentary that Cliff makes about Lester reveals Lester’s shallow nature and egotism, and leads to the termination of his employment.

Of all the movies that I have watched, there is none that rivals Crimes and Misdemeanors in incorporating ethical matters into its plot. This film incorporates existential philosophy, and the moral issues contemplated in the film reflect the ethical dilemmas in the real world. This film has enabled me to think about my own morals.