fandomhigh | Ethics [Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 1st period]

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ethics

Ethics [Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 1st period]

"Good morning," Anakin said, sweeping into the classroom where the students had been assigned seats. "I'm Anakin Skywalker and this is Ethics. If you're in the wrong place, now's the time to get up and flee."

If you were in the right place, it wasn't bad advice either, depending on Anakin's mood. He paced in front of their desks as he spoke, Jedi robe swirling behind him. "Most classes this week focus on introductions, but there are a few familiar faces in the classroom already and I'll figure out the rest of you as we go along. Fandom, as you might have realized already, is a multi-dimensional nexus where beings from many different places and times come together." He made sure to look each student in the eyes as he spoke. "As such, what you may feel to be moral and immoral might be completely different than the person sitting next to you. I encourage discussion, even heated discussion, but it must be phrased in a constructive way. Responses like 'yes, but that's dumb,' 'yes, but you're dumb', or punching someone are not constructive."

He'd done all of those before, but this wasn't about the ethics of the Ethics teacher.

"I have no problem at all sending you to detention if you irritate me," he concluded. "Now, the unpleasant administrative things out of the way, let's start with our first ethical scenario: If you had to choose between killing one person in order to save five others, or doing nothing even though you know that doing nothing means that those five people would die before your eyes, what would you do? And what do you think would be the right thing to do?"

His eyes slid to Katniss ~~assuming she was there~~. "We touch on unpleasant subjects in this class, some of which might not be all that hypothetical to your life's experience," he added. "If you prefer not to discuss a particular scenario, just let me know by shaking your head and I'll skip you until the next week."

Anakin clasped his hands together. "Now, let's begin."

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"I'd take a third option," Lex said. "Ensure that no one dies."

Enjoy that lingering idealism while it lasted.

"The easy way out's hardly ever possible," Jocelyn pointed out, just a note of scorn in her voice.

"No, it's being smarter than whoever is giving you two really bad options." Ah, idealism was abounds with teenage billionaires.

"Exactly," Lex agreed. "If the game's rigged against you, change it." Was a philosophy that probably going to end up doing Lex more harm than good in the long run, really, but one his dad was intent on drumming into his head.

Ah, but the idealism was so wonderful! And would slowly be crushed...

"Plus how do we know for sure any of the variables are accurate? You could kill the one person and the five others die anyway."

Ground down until there was nothing left but cynicism and a never to be fulfilled desire for a father's love and approval. Any father's.

"Not to mention the fact that once you start assigning value to people's lives like that, it's very easy to keep going, and before you know it you're living in an Orwell novel."

On the plus side, they'd both look fabulous in overly expensive suits!

"Exactly!" Oh, this could only end well for them both. "I'm Tony, by the way."

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She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, so everyone who dies fighting something is stupid? You can't weasel out of everything. Sometimes a shitty situation just is."

"No, but you shouldn't just give up and accept that something bad is going to happen no matter what you do."

"Something bad is going to happen no matter what you do," Jocelyn said, like that was obvious. "That's how the world works. Bad things happen and you have to make sure they affect as few as possible."

"Then find another option! Yeah, bad things happen, but that doesn't mean you should just assume there's no other way."

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Between Lionel's parenting and Queens bullying, Lex hardly even noticed just a note's worth of scorn any more. "Who said it was the easy way?" he asked. "The easy way and the right way are rarely one and the same."

Of course if he'd remembered that particular Warrior Angel quote a month ago...

"The right way is to protect as many people as possible," she replied. "The action might be hard, but who says there are any other options?"

"You make the other options." Lionel would be so proud of him for taking that much away from his lessons, at least until his choices were the ones Lex looked for other options for.

"That works for school sometimes or if your parents don't make what you want for dinner," Jocelyn said. "It doesn't work for real things."

"Tell that to Alexander the Great." Because everyone thought in literary and historical references, Lex.

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Oh, sure, cheat. "Can I change my vote and go with his?"

"No rule against it." Even if there was, it's not like Anakin had given him a list of them, he could plead ignorance.

"Then I vote everybody lives!" Victory arms! "Especially me!"

Anakin arched up an eyebrow. "And how would you ensure that?"

"Any way I could." What was the point of all the speeches his father kept feeding him otherwise?

As vague and easy as that," Anakin said dryly. "Sometimes there are just unpleasant choices, Mr. Luthor, and no third option."

Why did everyone assume Lex thought it would be easy? "Vague questions beget vague answers," he said. "You can't come up with a solution with no information on the problem."

"I'm with Baldie!" Hank chimed in. "Saving everyone -- that's just how the Hankenator rolls."

Thanks for the...support, Hank. Lex was just going to try and avoid rubbing his head now.

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