Film Analysis: Extreme Measures

In the film Extreme Measures someone can find ideas of Secular Ethics throughout the film involving Utilitarianism and its basic tenets along with Kantian analysis. The basic tenets of Utilitarianism include the principle of utility, Hedonism, and the viewpoint of a disinterested and benevolent spectator. While the tenets of Kantian Ethics, which include good will, the formula of universal law, the formula of the end itself, and the categorical imperative. These basic ideas setup arguments for and against the Utilitarian ideas set up by doctor Myrick. In the film doctor Myrick makes the claim that it is worth the deaths of unwilling subjects in order to help/save the lives of millions. However, doctor Luthan makes the claim that is is immoral

Doctor Myrick uses the principle of utility to defend his immoral actions during the film. The principle of utility is when a person makes a choice that is best for the most amount of people involved in the situation. He uses this tenet when talking to doctor Luthan about the ethical ideas involved in his experiment, because it will save millions despite killing the test subjects that are held beyond their will. In the movie we see signs of hedonism through doctor Myricks actions. His hedonistic views are seen as he tries to find pleasure in the horrible disease of paralysis. Doctor Myrick attempts to find pleasure in the heart breaking injury of paralysis through the slight chance he as found of curing it. Because of his chance of curing paralysis, Myrick illegally uses test subjects against their will to test his cell growing process in which eventually kills his subjects because it is not a properly thought out protocol following procedure. Doctor Myrick goes against utilitarianism in this situation because he does not follow the third tenet of Utilitarianism, which is the viewpoint of “a disinterested and benevolent spectator”. He does this when he makes the decision for the test subjects instead of testing the procedure for the goodwill of all the people involved in the situation. In order to make the proper

In the film the doctor Luther uses good will because he knows that doctor Myrick does not have the qualification, the legal rights, or the moral right to go through with his procedures, he shows this by choosing to obey moral law for the sake of morality itself. By choosing to not help doctor Myrick, doctor Luther show great good will in his ability to overcome the temptations of curing paralysis and follows the viewpoints of “a disinterested and benevolent spectator”. Doctor Myrick does not use categorical imperative in the film because he did not allow his test subjects to pass the test first. Categorical imperative occurs by testing a proposed action in order to make a decision about whether or not to do that proposed action. Because he did not run the test doctor Luther stops him from using the test subjects because of his great use of good will and his moral values. Doctor Luther demonstrates his ability to follow the formula of universal law, because his ability to stop doctor Myrick from completing an immoral action he stops him because his proposed action would be deemed immoral in the eyes of God. By stopping doctor Myrick, doctor luther