Moral Obligation of powered people.

[Celista]

Its Gen-OT, talking about a hypothetical moral dilemma.

What's not to understand?

I feel like I was pretty clear in my post but feel free to talk about hypothetical scenarios that will never happen in real life if you have nothing better to do.

[Ghostpanther]

People in power make up laws based on what they think. There is no obligation to these thoughts either.

Acceptability is a matter of culture.

Well true. But the morals of each individuals are at play in their decisions.

[Spiffums]

Well if we're going to use examples in OP, Captain America wasn't born with his powers (at least in MCU, I haven't been keeping up to date with the comics). To quote Tony, "Everything special about you Rogers came out of a bottle."

Wolverine's Super Power is high speed regeneration. He didn't become really dangerous until his Skeleton and Claws were covered with Adamantium.

But I do agree people with powers shouldn't be prosecuted until they break the law.

But it really didn't. Remember what the crazy German scientist told him, it just amplified what was there to start with. That's why Red Skull looked the way he did because he took it to a "dark place". And this is from a die hard stab you in the face with a spork Ironman fan!

[jellmoo]

If the incredibly intelligent or the incredibly rich have no moral obligation to help people, why should somebody with "powers"?

Who could do more good in the world: Captain America or Jeff Bezos?

[Vynny]

I'm strongly in favor of utilitarianism, so it's a moral obligation when they are needed, but everyday mundane stuff that can be handled without powers should be left to the proper authorities.

[Logwyn]

All morality is made up. There is no morality that is obliged, only law must be obliged.

Yeah.... law. Not so much. Law only means something if its enforced and enforceable.

[Aitch]

That would imply that non-powered people have less moral obligation to do the right thing.

So no.

[Antiganon]

If the incredibly intelligent or the incredibly rich have no moral obligation to help people, why should somebody with "powers"?

Who could do more good in the world: Captain America or Jeff Bezos?

Whose to say they don't?

I think Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates et all have a moral obligation to use their immense wealth to help people.

All of whom do, BTW, with vast contributions to charitable causes. As much as they ought to? Probably not, but at least they do something.

[Fencers]

Yeah.... law. Not so much. Law only means something if its enforced and enforceable.

Law without consequence is no law at all. So it's hardly worth mentioning if not enforced.

[Bryntrollian]

No and those kind of people should be put down or locked up for being a danger to society.

Wow, you're amazing.

[Milchshake]

I don't understand these threads where we talk about fantasy worlds/characters like they are real life.

It's miles better than the "Can Ramsey Really Rape Sansa if They're Married?" thread from a year and a half ago. I nearly threw up reading some posts in there.

I think this is supposed to be an allegory for "Does Elon Muck Have a Moral Obligation to Society"?


It's the price we pay for sharing online gamer spaces with libertarian dudebros.

[RaoBurning]

I do subscribe to the idea of noblesse oblige, where there's an obligation for the nobility/powerful people to work for the benefit of the less fortunate when possible. But Joe Schmo might be scraping by with a 9-5 and him having super powers is incidental, so he's mostly off the hook.

If you want someone like the scarlet witch to live with the possibility to fuck the whole world up with their mind, fine by me but I'd rather see them dead before they can do anything.

Just an FYI this attitude is exactly how 100% of fictional wars between normal humans and powered people start, so good job.

[artemishunter1]

All morality is made up. There is no morality that is obliged, only law must be obliged.

No 'powered' person could rationally be allowed full autonomy in the use of their power. It would be the equivalent of saying, 'Should a human be allowed full autonomy in the use of a weapon?"- no, we don't allow that for good reason.

but laws derive from moral principle. We have contract laws, because not keeping your word is wrong.

[Player Twelve]

Just an FYI this attitude is exactly how 100% of fictional wars between normal humans and powered people start, so good job.

Fictional wars, yes, you noted that. In reality they would be killed before they can become a threat. They wouldn't be allowed to live.

[Fencers]

but laws derive from moral principle.

They don't necessarily. Many laws are necessary for functioning society- like laws that outline the bounds of contracts, ownership or safety. A society functions better if you can assure all parties must oblige by a contract under penalty of law. It allows the maximal amount of rational function.

What occurs that obscures this is culture and custom. So the rationality of not murdering anyone because you feel slighted is wrapped in a Thou Shall Not... as an effective sales pitch. But any number of cultural customs have served to sell the rationalization of not murdering your neighbor.

There is no natural force that prevents or enforces this notion. We make it all up. So there is no obligation for Superman to do a damn thing if he decided otherwise.

Just an FYI this attitude is exactly how 100% of fictional wars between normal humans and powered people start, so good job.

Comic book characters with these fantastical powers also are at the mercy of the writer's conceit in the character's heroism.

Free of this conceit, a Scarlet Witch would be motherfucking DEFCON 1. There is no possible way a person with an unstable mental state capable of affecting reality on global scale instantly & without prerequisite can be allowed to just... live.

During the Cuban missile crisis US forces were on Defcon 3 and 2. The same day, a US reconnaissance aircraft strayed more than 100 miles into Soviet airspace and Soviet fighters were scrambled to intercept the US U-2 as nuclear armed US fighter jets were launched to escort the U-2 home... US Navy ships blew a hole in a Soviet sub that same day and the Soviet sub was going to launch had it not been for ONE dude objecting.

That was the brink. And it was stuff we could control.

Scarlet Witch? No fucking way that woman could be allowed to live.

If humanity ever bumped up against another species with innate catastrophic power such as in comic books it would be the absolute end of humanity. We (humans) would have to kill or enslave all the 'powered people' or die trying. We could not share this planet with another species of unchecked humanoids able to wipe us out at a whim.

[Goldielocks]

All morality is made up.

That's not completely true. It's in the same context as love, which is a cerebral extension of the human desire to breed. Evolutionary speaking, survival rates increase through working together and it's easier to do that when we're not constantly being assholes.

A healthy human brain has an inherent capacity for morality as it is a survival tool. That makes it more tangible than laws in a way.

[Sunseeker]

I think contextually the question is too vague. Some people have the power to grow spikes from their body. Some people have the power to set off small nuclear explosions. Neither of these people are particularly "helpful" to society.

But I think most respondents are missing the implication of the question.

Do people with superior skills, abilities and knowledge have an ethical/moral obligation to use those superior elements to the benefit of mankind? I would say that no, they really don't. I would certainly appreciate it if they chose to do so though. Perhaps if we had a better sort of people there might exist a stronger moral obligation, but without that I don't think it does. The bigger issue is who gets to define what is "good for mankind"?

[belfpala]

Do powered people like Captain America or wolverine have a moral obligation to use their powers to protect society? Should they have full autonomy in the use of their powers or are the Sokovia Accords warranted?

Wolverine is a dick. He was used and abused and just does things for people he likes. He has no obligation to anyone but himself.

Captain America wanted to be a hero. That's his choice.

[PC2]

That's not completely true. It's in the same context as love, which is a cerebral extension of the human desire to breed. Evolutionary speaking, survival rates increase through working together and it's easier to do that when we're not constantly being assholes.

A healthy human brain has an inherent capacity for morality as it is a survival tool. That makes it more tangible than laws in a way.

Evolution and survival is entirely amoral though, it doesn't make sense that an amoral process can create morality.

It may be that believing in a pantheon of gods had some amount of utility to ancient people, but that doesn't mean the pantheon was ever anything but made up.

[Underverse]

Evolution and survival is entirely amoral though, it doesn't make sense that an amoral process can create morality.

It may be that believing in a pantheon of gods had some amount of utility to ancient people, but that doesn't mean the pantheon was ever anything but made up.

Just like it doesn't make sense that non-life and create life, eh?

These arguments are largely semantic. Morality as a concept - as a method for behavior - exists, the same way methods for anything exist and the same way math exists. We might be constructing algorithms, but the constructs describe objective reality. The fact that we use constructs as interpreters of reality does not mean that reality ceases to exist.

So what reality does morality describe? That's determined by how we evolved. Good and bad are defined by sensation at the most basic level, and we can get better resolution by using our brains to understand secondary and tertiary effects of an action. Sensation is an outcome of evolution, which selects for propagation and fitness. So, morality is just a description of which behaviors lead to greater or lesser fitness and propagation. From this perspective, it's written by the laws of physics.