The Dark Knight Batman's rational/irrational decision

[Agent of Chaos]

Looking for some help here! I need to post a brief philosophy blog tonight basically focusing on how there are many instances when a person has valid reasons for wanting to take a certain action, and those actions cause the person and others happiness because they are in harmony with reason. However, there are many times when these actions may not be socially acceptable, or are considered "immoral" by people outside of the situation. So, just because an action may seem irrational to one person, it may be completely rational to another person. How can I tie this in with the ending of The Dark Knight (Batman taking the blame for Harvey Dent's murders)/ or any scene in TDK for that matter(any good ideas?) ? I can't seem to sum it up in less than a paragraph

Thanks in advance!

 

[raybia]

Looking for some help here! I need to post a brief philosophy blog tonight basically focusing on how there are many instances when a person has valid reasons for wanting to take a certain action, and those actions cause the person and others happiness because they are in harmony with reason. However, there are many times when these actions may not be socially acceptable, or are considered "immoral" by people outside of the situation. So, just because an action may seem irrational to one person, it may be completely rational to another person. How can I tie this in with the ending of The Dark Knight (Batman taking the blame for Harvey Dent's murders)/ or any scene in TDK for that matter(any good ideas?) ? I can't seem to sum it up in less than a paragraph

Thanks in advance!

Not an easy question to answer. We all are motivated by various reasoning to take a certain course of action but there has to be a criteria to determine if that reasoning is valid so sheer rational isn't enough because you can rationalize virtually anything but that doesn't necessarily make it right.

So the the next question would be "Well who determines whats right and what is wrong?

People live by their own set of moral principals and standards and we all have a moral compass that guides our thoughts and behaviors, some more than others as there is a varying range of degree between people in that regard. Ultimately I believe there is an Universal law of cause and effect that is in place and can never be broken but the laws of the land are the ones that must be followed if one wants to be in compliance and have a society that has some semblance of order. To break them makes a person a criminal under that system.

What Batman does is against the law. Yes he helps people and he has very honorable reasons that motivates him, but yet if he is caught he will be prosecuted. Does that mean he should discontinue his mission? Only he can answer that. He only has to know if he is willing to pay the price for rebelling against the system. If so, then his conscious will be his guide.

Did Batman make the right decision at the end of TDK? Well he made the right decision for himself based on the person Bruce Wayne was at that moment. In other words, he remained true to himself and his principles by making that decision. That decision will have a ripple effect on Gotham and numerous of individuals both directly and indirectly for years to come. But was it the right decision for Gotham? There is no right or wrong. Human history is made up of countless choices by people for all kind of reasons which has lead us up to the present time. In the end you just hope that things work out for the best for everyone of us.

Hope that makes some sense, just my two cents.

 

[Agent of Chaos]

Great input! Thanks

 

[raybia]

No problem. Give us the link to your blog when you are finished. Just curious.

 

[raybia]

By the way, Bruce has a good reasoning for taking the heat at the end of the movie but his reasoning was based on the premise that Harvey was Gotham's White Knight. However Dent was flawed even before the accident and Rachel's death and in true Bruce Wayne himself is the hero that Gotham deserves. Gordon knew that but Bruce doesn't...yet.