fandomhigh | Ethics [Tuesday, March 3, 2nd period]

A very tanned Anakin leaned a little uncomfortably against his desk as he waited for the students to take their seats.

"Today we talk about diligence, temperance, and forgiveness," he said quietly, "and we're going to use examples from the midterm exam to do so."

He flipped the hologram to life, focusing on a shot of Palpatine's face. "The goal was to save this man, the democratically chosen leader of your galaxy, at the cost--if necessary--of your own lives. After the first dozen or so droids shooting at you, you certainly had the option of retreating and leaving the mission for someone else to complete. So when does diligence turn to foolhardiness?"

The holocam switched to footage of two Jedi, blue blades flashing, taking on an older man wielding a red lightsaber. The battle was moving at least three times as fast as the exercise had. The older Jedi went ricocheting into a wall, then the second one, fire in his eyes, closed in on their opponent. A few moments later the Sith dropped to his knees with two lightsabers held to his throat.

The Jedi wielding the lightsabers looked an awful lot like their teacher.

"Temperance," Anakin said softly. "Do you kill him now? He's dangerous. He held the head of a galaxy-wide government hostage. He injured your partner. He certainly tried to kill you first. Or do you capture him and leave him to the whims of the courts?"

He shook his head. "Finally, forgiveness. You save the chancellor, at great personal expense, only to discover he's not the kind of man you thought he was. Your act of heroism has managed to make the situation at home much, much worse. How do you forgive yourself for it? Can you forgive the others who put you into that position?"

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"Why? Why is saving 'them' more important than saving you?" Van Helsing really shouldn't take any sort of pleasure in playing the opposite role, but he's been on the receiving end of these questions and he knows how hard they are to answer. It's probably why he's such a pain in the ass now.

"Cause... my friends and family are more important to me, than me," Hurley said.

Van Helsing frowns. "Really? You would sacrifice yourself to save someone else?" He ponders this a moment.

"Would you do the same if that other person was an enemy or just someone you don't like? For the sake of the argument, we'll say this enemy is also not on the best friends list with the thing you're currently fighting."

Hurley got confused. "I don't follow you, dude."

"Sorry. Changed the scenario a little. Same fight, but the guy who's fighting with you, isn't your friend. He's some guy you don't like much. You still have the big enemy trying to kick your ass, but now your help is also your enemy. Do you risk your life to save that guy too?"

Hurley's face scrunched up. "I don't know," he said.

"Why not? Why is this guy's life different? Is his life worth less because you don't like him?"

No wonder Anakin doesn't like him... (Van Helsing, that is, not Hurley).

"I said I don't know, dude," Hurley said. "I'm not even sure why I'm supposed to be working with him."

"Doesn't matter. Thrown together by fate, if that works for the scenario. You're both fighting the same bad guy. The other guy gets into trouble, can't get out, can't fight his way out. You're just going to leave him behind?"

"I... no, I wouldn't," Hurley said.

"So, everyone's the same? Your mom and the guy who stole your brand new 10-speed, you'd save them both if you were stuck fighting the guy who wants to kill you all?"

"...I don't own a ten-speed," Hurley said.

"Fine, the guy who stole your twelve-dollar sandwich, then. Who cares. He's a bully and you end up fighting with him on this mission. Do you save him too or let the big bad guy take him out for you while you run away?"

"Dude, I'd have shared the sandwich," Hurley said. "I mean, sandwich stealing isn't, like 'let a guy die' bad."

"So, they're the same? The bully who steals your sandwich and your mom. You'd save 'em both?"

"They're not the same," Hurley said. "But... I'd still try to save 'em, yeah."

Van Helsing shrugs. "Makes you better than most."

"I... I'm not much of a fighter, outside of hypotheticals," Hurley admitted.

"Not a bad thing. Fighting's not all it's cracked up to be." A shrug. "Unless you like doing it."

Ethics [Tuesday, March 3, 2nd period]

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Re: Answer the discussion question: diligence