The Philosophy of Killing and the Survival Instinct

Myrna 2022-12-12 18:09:45

Woody Allen's new film "The Wrong Man" was inspired by Dostoyevsky's novel "Notes from a Basement," and it still took me by surprise. The film tells the story of a college philosophy teacher who goes from being disappointed in life to regaining her confidence by killing a bad judge.

I think what's worth discussing here is Abe's attitude towards murder. At first, he decided to kill the judge because he wanted to help others, but in the end, he wanted to kill her to keep Jill from reporting on him. And things are always ironic. Before killing people, Abe was disappointed with life and was a pessimistic and negative person; after killing people, he was full of energy, and in order to maintain this beautiful state, his survival instinct made him continue to kill. . Jill believes that if he kills a person, then he opens the door to killing. No matter what the purpose is, good people want to judge bad people, but what are the criteria for judging good people and bad people? Besides, no one is God. Can a person's life and death be decided so easily?

In "Lord of the Rings", the hobbit Faldo said it was a pity that Bilbo didn't kill Gollum, and Gandalf said something meaningful, probably, some people should have died, but lived; some people should have lived , but dead; can you make that judgment? Even a wise man cannot judge the life and death of others. Some people call this Tolkien's philosophy, and I think that's the real mercy.

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Extended Reading

Irrational Man quotes

  • Jill: Despair is what Kierkegaard called the sickness unto death, Abe. And you suffer from despair.

    Abe: I'm well aware of what Kierkegaard thought. But he was, in the end, a Christian. How comforting that would be.

  • Abe: I'm Abe Lucas and I've murdered. I've had many experiences and now a unique one. I've taken a human life. Not in battle or self defense, but I made a choice I believed in and saw it through. I feel like an authentic human being.