Abstract
This paper explores how the television series Breaking Bad argues about the ethics of Social Darwinism as dominant to the interest of the community, and why this is not just philosophical or religious question. It also makes a brief comparison with the ethical situation as portrayed in another television series, The Wire, claiming that these substantially different series, (one approaching morality and ethics through sheer individualism and free will, another through social determinism) both teach similar lessons about ethics. Having its main theme centered around ethics, Breaking Bad sees causes of socio-economical crises primarily in the moral destruction of modern society that destroys its institutions, not the other way around. In contrast, The Wire finds human morality in a dichotomy of an idealist-pragmatist type of man trapped inside the social systems that brutally arrange human lives through ‘the Game’ – in essence the socio-economical rules of urban life. I argue that Breaking Bad offers more arguments for not engaging in ‘Darwinist’ ethics, showing us in both literal and metaphorical ways the entire process arising from totalitarianism as today’s most feared form of social system. Article received: May 10, 2018; Article accepted: May 14, 2018; Published online: October 1, 2018; Original scholarly paper How to cite this article: Kovačević, Sanja. "Tricky Questions and Straight Answers About Ethics in Breaking Bad and The Wire." AM Journal of Art and Media Studies 17 (2018): 59−69. doi: 10.25038/am.v0i17.270
Highlights
This paper explores how the television series Breaking Bad argues about the ethics of Social Darwinism as dominant to the interest of the community, and why this is not just philosophical or religious question
When we reduce all economic questions, all cultural enigmas and sociological dilemmas, we arrive at the same point: the question of ethics, because morality is the basic question of civilized human beings
Heisenberg’s uncertainty theory symbolizes moral relativism in a more complex way: it suggests that ethical choices differ in the world of individual interest vs. the world of community interest, but in the end, the moral that superimposes majority interest to minority must prevail
Summary
This paper explores how the television series Breaking Bad argues about the ethics of Social Darwinism as dominant to the interest of the community, and why this is not just philosophical or religious question. As all great works of art, Breaking Bad and The Wire speak of ethical goals that we, as individuals and society can reach, while questioning why we fail to do so in the modern world.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
