maskormenace | 01. voice. angels dancing on the head of a pin

[ Chidi has been contemplating it ever since his arrival—what does the fact that people have powers here mean for the state of ethics in this world? Are people being responsible with what they’ve been given? Is everyone here like him, a person who could never have dreamed of having these types of powers in the worlds he came from?

In the end, he makes a decision that he needs to get more input before deciding. The communicator he’s been given is familiar technology, and he has no problem navigating its interface. He turns on the voice function and begins to broadcast. ]

I have a question for everyone here. Actually, a few questions. I’d like to get everyone’s input, if I can—don’t feel like you’re bothering me with your answer. I want to know everyone’s experience with this and everyone’s opinion.

First, a little background on me. My field of expertise is in the field of ethics and moral philosophy. I have written a lot about this subject, and I’d like to start a new study based on how these fields may be different in this world than in the one I was trained in.

So, here are my questions:

One: Do you personally come from a world where people have the kinds of powers that they have here? Furthermore, did you have powers yourself?

Two: If so, what were the moral and ethical implications of people deciding to use these powers, or choosing not to use them? And if not, do you feel a moral and ethical obligation to use your powers to help people?

And three: Do you consider yourself a good person?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Alright, so.

If it's considered a "obligation," are you necessarily "good" for fulfilling it, or simply "lawfully" aligned? Like, sure, there's no legal ramifications if I am NOT fulfilling a moral obligation, but there are typically social ones. So one is pressured to fulfill this deed to remain in good standing...I.E. I don't necessarily want to do it, and am not doing it out of the goodness of my heart, but I'm doing it so that others don't think I'm a bad person.

Do you hold the door every time because you want to hold the door, or because it's expected of you because of the social obligation?

Additionally, to what degree does this moral obligation of ours extend? Do the needs of others supersede our own? Are we expected to put our lives on the line for other people because we were given an ability that we did not ask for? A physician is obligated by an ethical oath to provide healing. They made an OATH, a decision. A firefighter puts his life on the line because he made that decision, made that part of his JOB. Those are reasonable expectations of moral obligation. But you and I walked out of a Porter with the ability to do...whatever it is we do. We made no conscious choice here. So what is expected of us and where does our moral obligation end? Are we obligated to return America's "charitable" favor of housing and supporting us by fighting her wars or aiding her expansion, simply because we might have the power to do so?

This all depends on your approach to ethics to begin with—is there an obligation to use one's abilities as one is able to help others? Is taking an oath, as you say, simply a fulfillment of this obligation? Is it a function of recognizing that one has a duty already? Say you had an aptitude to be a heart surgeon. Does that make you obligated to become one?

[ Chidi sighs. ]

Honestly this was all so much easier before...well, before I knew there was an afterlife. There seems to be a set of criteria for judging people's actions that I have not been made privy to, but I know enough about it to know I was mistaken about some of my assumptions, even after being in the field of ethics for over ten years.

An afterlife. [He laughs nervously. Newt wished he believed you were joking, but he's met literal gods and guys who were back from the dead, so...] So, what...there's...Judgement? A Good Place and a Bad Place?

...how ethical is it to hold us to criteria that we are NOT made privy to?

Yup, that's exactly what they're called, too. The system that's set up is pretty cut-and-dried, too. If you're not exactly the perfect type they want you to be? You get sent to the Bad Place.

And you know, they're so proud of the fact that for the most part, humankind doesn't know the criteria. That doesn't seem fair at all.