Psychic Powers and the dodgy ethics thereof

[samvara]

So this has been on my mind for a while now and various people have born the brunt of it been supportive and I promise now I'll find something else to mumble about.

Psychic Powers and the dodgy ethics thereof

• Is it OK to make people do things because you’re psychic?
• Is it OK if they don’t know you’re doing it to them?
• Is it OK if they don’t remember after?
• Is it OK if you made them like it?
• Is it OK to use information you gained through psychic means?
• Is it OK to ‘hurt people back’ for stuff you learned because you’re psychic?

One of the reasons science fiction and fantasy continually delights me is the way it creates opportunities to talk about who we are and how we treat each other. Recently I’ve been watching various shows engage with ideas of telepathy and mind control and I’m seeing a pretty wide field in terms of the level of engagement.

Fair enough, telepathy and/or mind control can be just a plot device, you need a handy way to make some point; you insert some random psychic talent and hey… “Psychic Powers made us do it!”

This is a problem because inserting a fantastical element takes us out of the normal world setting and this can have the weird side effect of seeing ethics fly out the window. It’s not ‘real’ and therefore real world morality doesn’t apply. I think writers sometimes fail to realise that if they want to insert these kinds of abilities as a plot device then they also have to engage with the implications of having those abilities.

Which is tragic, because fantastical surroundings are a perfect place to talk about complex and interesting ways of interacting and what it that might mean for us as people. It’s doubly tragic because it supports the absurd idea that there are times where it’s appropriate to stop behaving morally, which is frankly disturbing.

See we’re not just talking about telepathy, we’re talking about something that’s relevant to us right now because while we’re not psychics, we all have power over someone or something (be it other adults, children, animals or inanimate objects) and what we do with it says a hell of a lot about us.

So when I’m watching Supernatural, Heroes or Torchwood and I see the incredible range of engagement with the question of what constitutes ethical behaviour when you have power, it interests me.

In the interests of not spoiling several shows at once I’ve split off the specific commentary into separate posts.

• Heroes 1x05 Hiros and 1x06 Better Halves (On Telepathy… Interesting Assumption)
• Torchwood 1x01 Everything Changes (On Mind Control… eek)
• Torchwood 1x07 Greeks Bearing Gifts (On Telepathy... Nicely done)
• Supernatural 2x07 Simon Says (On Mind control… You Bastards)

Now go back and ask yourself the same questions but substitute ‘stronger / faster / prettier’ where appropriate.

Comments

[mynxii.livejournal.com]

Well stated. *love*

[black-samvara.livejournal.com]

[hug] It's the short version of the last two months worth of Friday nights.

[markdeniz.livejournal.com]

mynxii sent me here based on my recent comments on Heroes and it was a fascinating read; as you mentioned negative reprecussions had to be expected for Matt and I thik we can safely say he's in a bit of bother at the moment...

I immediately cringed when his power surfaced, thinking that is just not the one you want, give me the time travel any day of the week or invisibility (but then we open another huge can of the proverbial worms there)!

I need to stop now, this cool blue is hurting me eyes...

(like the journal though and have added you for more Heroes, Supernatural, BSG, etc.

[black-samvara.livejournal.com]

I'm currently working on the hypothesis that comicbook morality has it's own laws and they are very simple ones.

It's a shame, I love Heroes and want to love it even more but I keep getting thrown out of the mood by the way people behave and the way they treat their powers.

[karalyssa.livejournal.com]

we all have power over someone or something (be it other adults, children, animals or inanimate objects) and what we do with it says a hell of a lot about us

It amazes (and disheartens) me that many people don't seem to realise this. It seems so integral to just about every facet of existing on and interacting with this planet and it's occupants.

Thanks for a thought provoking and interesting post!
[hugs]
Wish I had been in closer geographic proximity to get mumbled at : )

[black-samvara.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I wish you'd been here too, you could have laughed at me when I babbled a lot.

[cupidsbow.livejournal.com]

I can't wait to read these. I just need to watch the eps in question! *bookmarks*

[black-samvara.livejournal.com]

Now I kinda want to make you watch Supernatural...