Movie Flatliners Moral Development

Flatliners

Choose one of the five medical students and answer the following:

The medical student chosen is Nelson, the main protagonist.

Identify the level of moral development the character is at and defend the answer.

Each of the characters in the film, but none so more than Nelson, is trapped in the childhood or adolescent stage of moral development. Nelson had committed an accidental murder when he was a small boy. Consequently, he has not moved beyond this point mentally. He has moved slightly into the adolescent mindset, wherein his actions are defined by his peers. Nelson has hidden the dark secret of his past for years because it destroyed his childhood and he doesn't want further repercussions for that behavior.

Is this character an Objectivist, a relativist, or a Utilitarian; back this up with a scene from the movie.

Nelson is a Utilitarian. Despite the potential dangers to the others, Nelson does not admit the repercussions he has experienced after he has been flat lined and revived. Although he knows that the entire experiment of dying and then coming back to life has potential moral and ethical consequences, he goes ahead with his plan and convinces his friends to do the same. Withholding information so that he can witness other people's reactions to the other side shows that he only considers moral implications when it benefits him.

c. Is the same character a Consequentialist or a Non-Consequentialist? Why?

Nelson's character is the definition of a Consequentialist. He determines his behavior not by the potential ramifications but by his own desires and curiosity. For him the question of whether or not to perform an action will always look forward to the end of the experiment. If he desires to know certain information, then any means by which he goes about getting that information is acceptable.

2. What does this film say about being willing to live with the consequences of all of our actions? Give an example of at least two scenes involving two different characters.

What first comes to mind are how the characters are confronted by their past mistakes after they are revived. David was a bully as a child. His consequent punishment is to be harassed by a specter of that young girl. He literally comes face-to-face with the actions of his life. David's regrets take physical form. He resolves the haunting of his past by seeking out the girl Winnie Hicks in her adulthood. She initially rebuffs him and demands that he leaves because his abuse was so painful she had to repress it to move on. However, she does wind up thanking him for his apology. In facing his past, David is able to heal not only himself but the young girl as well.

Nelson confronts the demons of his past in a similar fashion. When initially questioned about his connection to the now-dead Billy Mahoney. Nelson only admits to knowing a Billy Mahoney. The only way Nelson is able to free himself from the physical attacks of his regrettable past is to make up for his actions. Part of this is admitting that he was responsible for the death of the child. Nelson goes under again in the attempt to kill himself, but the past does not want him to die. The only thing the film asks of those who have sinned is the attempt to make amends for what has been done.

3. Why is the quote from Nelson "Everything Matters!! Everything we do matters!!" so important and so true? How is this quote lived out or not with teenagers today?

Nelson's quote is true and it is the main theme for the entire film. A person's identity is completely comprised of the history of their actions. In the case of the characters in the film, they are each made to face their darkest secrets. Although you can grow and age, the things that we make are still with us. So many teenagers today feel that are invincible. More and more often they are choosing to have sex and do drugs and get into other forms of trouble without considering how those choices will affect the rest of their lives.