Rapadas, Hanz Alec O.

Ethics
FE-1301 Sir Lian Austria

1. Describe the 6 characters in the story.

There are different kinds of movies that exist in the world-all ranging from different
countries, with each of different genres that we like and dislike. Some movies have a moral story,
while other don’t. Some are adapted in the book, while others are in the comics and some have
deep and hidden meanings to debunk-like Watchmen, for instance. Unlike other classic comic
books, Watchmen does not have a clear protagonist or antagonist. The characters are uncannily
human for the genre, struggling through life’s various obstacles. Most of them do not have any
sort of superpowers and what sets them apart is their morality. They each feel a deep desire to be
a hero and that is what ultimately pushes him or her to become one. Each of the characters
represent a symbol of a different morality system:

Rorschach symbolizes a black and white moral system. For him, nothing is morally grey.
He believes that a bad action deserves to be punished no matter how much good may come out of
it, hence why he feels he can be so brutal with criminals. He embraces this surrounding cruelty in
every moment of every day. He sees all the evil around him and has made it his life’s purpose to
extinguish it from the world at any cost. He has a different idea of right and wrong, it’s just not the
same idea as everybody else. He takes an uncompromising approach to fighting crime, punishing
all no matter the extent of the offense. However, what makes him truly frightening is that he is the
judge, jury, and executioner of his own morality. He solely relies on his own judgment to determine
who lives and who dies. Thus, his morality system is deontology. He exemplifies the theory of
punishment also, meaning, you get what you deserve, and what you deserve is dictated by the
immensity of your deeds.

Ozymandias symbolizes utilitarianism meaning that if an action causes more good than
harm then it is a positive action. Utilitarianism believes that all actions should be judged by their
consequences, indicating that the end really justifies the means. This is obvious by Ozymandias
giving people cancer, killing the comedian, killing the CEOs of neighbor companies at his meeting,
arresting Rorschach and destroying half of Manhattan, and most haunting is killing millions to
save billions. He may seem the villain in the story and by means of comparing to other movies, he
mostly like is, a villain, and although his ethical value is extreme, it is proven that he becomes the
most effective component that could be done to allow most people to live. He provides the epitome
of the idea that the right and wrong are determined by the consequences of our actions and of all
these characters, Ozymandias displays the most desire to make a difference, acknowledging his
horrific actions.
 The Comedian symbolizes nihilism and egoism. Nihilism is a philosophical viewpoint
that suggests the denial of, or lack of belief in, the reputedly meaningful aspects of life. Most
commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism, which argues that life is
without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value. He has his belief that there is no such thing
as morality or objective good and evil, given the nature of mankind. To him, the idea that someone
as morally broke as himself could be considered a hero is hilarious, and he intentionally plays it
up because nobody ever tries to stop him. His logic is that morality is a man-made invention that
doesn't really exist. He also recognizes that everyone has their own moral base and as a result each
would naturally conflict with one another. Moreover, he does what he wants, when he wants, and
doesn't care if it hurts anyone and as a result, he became a parody of what he perceived of the
world. His morality is therefore based upon finding the holes in other people's morals.

Dr. Manhattan is very much a nihilist more than The Comedian. He represents a more
selfish moral compass. Although he has a sense of right and wrong, he won't involve himself in
situations unless it directly affects him. Manhattan does not make moral decisions based simply
on an uncompromising set of guidelines. There is no one rule in his mind that dictates when killing
is justified and when it is not. We draw our morality from the powers that be. Our religions, our
governments, our families. Morality is something which is inherently given to us by those above.
Now obviously we consider morality a good thing and I'd never say otherwise, regardless of who
gives it to us. While Rorschach is single-minded in pursuing his form of justice, Manhattan sees a
more complicated world, without a fixed right and wrong, where a single decision can ripple far
beyond current circumstances. Manhattan is a person who is so far beyond the things we can
understand that morality, at least our kind of morality, would have no bearing on him. If he were
to destroy out an entire city of people, it would not matter to him. Manhattan acts upon an
obligation to preserve human life. Instead of making moral decisions based on a right or wrong,
he weighs his options according to whether the outcome of the event is important or trivial,
ignoring simple homicides while keeping the world from nuclear apocalypse. Dr. Manhattan, the
closest thing to a god is just as powerless as the rest of us and is, when constrained by the set
history before him, little more than a puppet-he just sees the strings.

Night Owl II and Silk Spectre II are the hopeful characters in the story, who strive to see
the good in everyone. With Night Owl. I feel like he was searching for a way to reclaim what he
lost. I always thought he was sort of selfish, using duty as an excuse to cling to those from his past,
and in doing that his morality was a function of whatever actions would keep him closest to them.
With Laurie, She is just sort of there. She has no philosophy. Her mom forced her to be a hero in
the movie. I noticed in the story that they were the only ones to have a good ending. They were
practically optimists that practice a normative ethical theory, as they do no longer understand
what’s right or wrong in the end, only that they can’t do nothing now, well, except to keep on
living their life, which makes them the most human out of the six.
2. What would you have done if you were Seymour?
If I were Seymour, I wouldn’t publish Rorshach’s journal despite the fact that there aren’t
any news-worthy thing to publish anymore. If I publish the journal, I would be creating a war that
has been truced already. Lots of people will die and I can’t afford to carry that problem to myself.
It’s better to lose the news company, heck, my job, than to start a war with the Soviets. Or maybe
it won’t. If I publish it, I think half the people won’t believe it considering that Rorshach is the
problem. He has a mental illness. And who would believe a crazy person, right? What I would do
instead is to maybe read the journal, you know, for my curiosity, because who wouldn’t dare to
read it right? And besides, it’s not for me to tell it to anyone else. Once I know what’s inside,
maybe I will burn it so that others won’t have the possession to it.

3. Who is your favorite character?

I find Rorshach’s character interesting and all throughout the story, he became my favorite.
He probably isn’t the ideal potagonist in every way, and he hasn’t been the most pleasant of the
character, yet he had a specific feeling of justice and determination about him that others didn’t
have. I relate myself in Rorscach-the lonely, messed up guy with a lot of traumatic experiences in
the past. He was a psychopathic killer, but he always targeted people who have done wrongful and
injustice things. I was so drawn to him because of his complicated mind. It is evident in the movie
where he feels more comfortable and real when he’s wearing his mask and refers to his mask as
his face. And let’s talk about his mask. He has this blotted mask that changes from blot to blot. It’s
amazing indeed. I find it fascinating. He has this mysterious and eerie aura that makes me want to
explore him more. At first, I was fascinated and somewhat disturbed at Rorschach’s mental
processes, then I only understood what drove him over the edge was his traumatic experiences. He
may realize that the world is shit, but this life as a crime fighter is the only world he knows and
takes comfort in. Like the ink blot tests that bear his name, Rorschach is a mystery who never
backs down from his own beliefs, even in the face of the end of the world.

4. Who is your “meh” character?

The character that I see myself making a “meh” face is to Silk Spectre II. Well, in the first
place, I think the group would still be the same if she’s not there. She doesn’t have so much
influence within the group. Her mom forced her to become Silk Spectre and I think she doesn’t
even want it. She’s pressured to follow her mom’s footsteps and I think that’s one of the reasons
why I’m “meh” around her. Since her birth, her mother was training her to become the next great
hero. Whether Laurie wanted it or not didn’t matter. She dates Doctor Manhattan for a while and
that’s where she’s first introduced in the story. Silk Spectre and Nite Owl’s relationship begins to
blossom when Manhattan and Laurie have one too many fights. They have their final one before
he goes on television and this opens the door for Dan. Their developments are by far the most
boring out of all of these characters, but they mean the same, if not more.
5. Who is your least favorite character?
I’ve always hated The Comedian from the very start. He really is a joke to the world. He
does what he wants, when he wants, and doesn't care if it hurts anyone and as a result, he became
a parody of what he perceived of the world. He’s the image of a bad guy, if you would look at it
closely. I hate how he always laughs in different situations. I hate how he tried to rape Silk Spectre.
I hate how he mercilessly killed a pregnant Vietnamese woman with his baby inside. I just hate his
appearance and his personality the most. I wondered why did he even became a hero in the first
place.