Jack's Ethical Instincts

The premiere of Day 7 on "24" last night was great.  And I thought it highlighted a couple of points that I think are critical to the show and Jack's character since they deal with very difficult and critical ethical choices.

First is that Jack accepts responsibility for the terrible things he does at times.  These are ethical dilemmas so by their nature none of his options is good, but something is necessary.  Inaction is not an option because something bad is going to happen, events are unfolding, and a choice has to be made.  A choice can't be avoided.  He can't opt out.  But he neither apologizes for making hard decisions nor avoids the consequences of acting.  And that's part of the terrible choice involved in dilemmas.

I think that's an important lesson for all of us, even in our ordinary, daily ethical choices that don't have the terrible weightiness of Jack Bauer's.  Accept responsibility. 

Second is that Jack is a professional making deliberate choices; he's not a loose cannon.  He's often thought of that way; he was frequently spoken to that way in last night's episode.  But he actually shows a great deal of restraint and deliberateness in his actions, and I think that shows a well-informed moral instinct in this character created.  Jack does (has to do, I have argued in the past) terrible things in the face of terrible sin.  But they are (I think unfailingly, if I remember accurately) directed at the proper targets.  He isn't a loose cannon swinging wildly and unpredictably.  And I think accusing him of being such is a sort of an ad hominem against the kinds of choices Jack has to make assuming his actions are wrong without arguing it.  It's easier to discredit those choices if they're seen as actions of a rogue character.  But Jack is a professional, a skilled practitioner of his trade and it's an extremely specialized one.  I think critics of this kind of solution to moral dilemmas also assume that proponents treat them as simple, clear, and certain.  But not at all.  They are difficult and hard, even when the choice is made.

Despite the reputation as a loose cannon, he's actually quite specific in the application of extreme measures in the face of extreme circumstances.  If there are these kinds of choices to be made in the real world, I, for one, hope there are Jack Bauers making them.  And I'm glad I'm not.  It's a terrible professional obligation in the face of evil.  Jack also seems to recognize that in the personal price the character has paid over the course of the show.  Some fans of the show have interpreted this as losing moral confidence, but I think it's the weight of the consequences Jack has had to shoulder over time.  He recognizes that if his actions are necessary at times, they are not easy ones or free of consequence.

We don't know much about Jack's background and how he developed the instincts he has.  But they're amazingly accurate ones.  What I do know is that ethical wisdom in big choices is cultivated in small choices and decisions.  And all of us have those to make every day. 

Comments

[Kinscheildenstrauss]

hhahahaha
this is the best post!!
24 last night was amazing and i was thinking about this a bit too
LoL
amazing!

[Brad B]

I dont think a person could have an intinct like Jacks without a grounded sense of objective right and wrong and the ability to see the outworking of the thoughts one has in their actions. He sees a clear line of being either "for me" or "against me", or "for good" or "for evil".

Brad B