Golden Sunrise Forums

Now, I haven't actually seen much of Death Note myself (and you don't need to have either). In fact, I wasn't that impressed with it. But it did open up an interesting moral dilemma: do you find it wrong to use an object that can kill anyone who you name on it, if all of the victims are criminals?

That is, essentially, what the antagonist, Light, does in the series. But do you find that wrong?

For me, the answer is a definite yes. Some people here might have interesting views on this, though. Adam, if he still lurks here, might have a thing or two to say about Ayn Rand's concept of parasites - people like criminals, who allegedly bring nothing to the gain of society and, again, allegedly, have no value. I feel like this does depend on whether you value criminals (of all kinds) as human beings no matter what they've done, though.

Killing's wrong, so no. Or... yes, it is wrong... or whatever. I'd rather a book that threw them into a dream-like dimension where they can do whatever they want for the rest of their life ... then they can be happy and the rest of society can be safe from them. Everyone's happy - because it's definitely totally completely flawless.

Meh killing is wrong anyhow.

Human beings can always fix themselves and change their ways. If there was a magical book that helped people live morally, that would be what should be used...

I really liked Death note, until

If I had it I don't think it'd ever use it, but it would be worth keeping in case of emergences, I mean what if you had had it during WWII? I mean we don't know that killing Hitler with 'natural causes' would have ended the war, but it would at the least weaken things surely, possibly leading to a quicker end to the war, and less dead all round? Who knows.

Overall: 'Is it wrong'? answer: Yes!
However 'Is it wrong to stand aside and let others die?' Also yes!
Your working with morally grey; it's no longer a matter of good/evil. Things are rarely so simple; There are situations where its justifiable to use it. Not, as light often did it: as a justice things, not punishment, or revenge: if someone committed murder and is now in jail they wont be doing any more harm, so there's no need to use it, but say a serial murderer was still on the lose, still killing: then you could save lives. Of course then you have to worry about if you've got the right guy.

My point being its not something you could say is or isn't the right thing to do, it depends on the exact situation at the exact time, you couldn't say it could never be the right option, or that it would always be the right option, but then of course whose opinion as to whether you use it in a given situation should you go with: we all think our own view is the right one (otherwise it wouldn't be our view), but no one can really know the consequences of their actions before hand, predict all you want, you'd have to be omnipotent to really know. And of course the more you were to use it, the easier it becomes to use it again and again, causing people to question why all the bad people in the world seem to be dyeing conveniently (see plot of death note XD).