Post by Darth Rosie on Jun 25, 2009 3:50:56 GMT -5
This is, so to speak, a very special request. I am going to present a paper at a conference on intersections of law and culture. The title of the paper is "'It's about power...' Law and morality in Buffy the Vampire Slayer." I post the abstract & combine this posting with a question to all you experts out there: I have a few examples in mind which I want to deal with, but I would love to know what you think on which situations to focus, concerning the way I present the problem. Sorry for the cryptic but things should be clear if you read the abstract. Any suggestions are highly appreciated.
Abstract:
The relationship between law and morality is infamously complex and intricate. How it is seen and how law and morality as such are perceived, is culturally specific. Popular culture shapes our imagination concerning the dilemmas posed, such as: Is a certain legal rule or set of legal rules morally legitimate? What, if anything, should follow if a law is judged as horrendously unjust? Or: Is it sometimes allowed to ignore a legal provision in order to achieve some greater good? Which provisions might that be, how far may one go and how much “collateral damage” should be accepted?
When it comes to dealing with such issues, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a fascinating case in point. The TV series, which was created by Joss Whedon and aired in seven seasons from 1998-2004 and which is now continued as a comic, presents us with two worlds: that of vampires and demons on the one hand and that of humans on the other. Those two worlds are, of course, intertwined, since vampires and demons feed on humans, their bodies and psyches. It is Buffy’s task to slay the demons, hereby executing the central rule watched over by the “Watcher’s Council”, an age-old institution responsible for the education and guidance of vampire slayers, of who there is but one young woman in each generation. In this sphere, “killing” is completely guilt-free, and Buffy herself insists on not being called a “killer”.
The law of the human world, not surprisingly, is much more complex, with one rule often confirmed as central: Never harm or even kill a human being. This is the one rule Buffy is committed to, and she time and again insists on the primacy of legal institutions in dealing with respective issues. When she herself thinks that she has killed a human being, she is always ready to turn herself in to the authorities, even if usually they are not regarded highly in the “Buffyverse”. Other legal rules, however, tend to be ignored, especially if they stand in the way of fighting against demonic evil. And other players of the “Buffyverse” tend to have a more cavalier attitude toward the rule of not harming or killing human beings, be it for the greater good or in revenge for heinous crimes.
The presentation is going to elaborate on these issues by way of a few examples from the series and explore what the show’s increasingly complex dealings with such dilemmas may contribute to a broader debate on issues of law and morality.
Abstract:
The relationship between law and morality is infamously complex and intricate. How it is seen and how law and morality as such are perceived, is culturally specific. Popular culture shapes our imagination concerning the dilemmas posed, such as: Is a certain legal rule or set of legal rules morally legitimate? What, if anything, should follow if a law is judged as horrendously unjust? Or: Is it sometimes allowed to ignore a legal provision in order to achieve some greater good? Which provisions might that be, how far may one go and how much “collateral damage” should be accepted?
When it comes to dealing with such issues, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a fascinating case in point. The TV series, which was created by Joss Whedon and aired in seven seasons from 1998-2004 and which is now continued as a comic, presents us with two worlds: that of vampires and demons on the one hand and that of humans on the other. Those two worlds are, of course, intertwined, since vampires and demons feed on humans, their bodies and psyches. It is Buffy’s task to slay the demons, hereby executing the central rule watched over by the “Watcher’s Council”, an age-old institution responsible for the education and guidance of vampire slayers, of who there is but one young woman in each generation. In this sphere, “killing” is completely guilt-free, and Buffy herself insists on not being called a “killer”.
The law of the human world, not surprisingly, is much more complex, with one rule often confirmed as central: Never harm or even kill a human being. This is the one rule Buffy is committed to, and she time and again insists on the primacy of legal institutions in dealing with respective issues. When she herself thinks that she has killed a human being, she is always ready to turn herself in to the authorities, even if usually they are not regarded highly in the “Buffyverse”. Other legal rules, however, tend to be ignored, especially if they stand in the way of fighting against demonic evil. And other players of the “Buffyverse” tend to have a more cavalier attitude toward the rule of not harming or killing human beings, be it for the greater good or in revenge for heinous crimes.
The presentation is going to elaborate on these issues by way of a few examples from the series and explore what the show’s increasingly complex dealings with such dilemmas may contribute to a broader debate on issues of law and morality.
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