Today, we discussed the spectrum between thought and action. Where does one cross into the other?
After listening to the first section of Radiolab's "Bad Show", we found that in a particular study that out of 5,000 polled individuals, 91 percent of men and 84 percent of women have had homicidal thoughts. But when do these thoughts yield homicidal actions? When do thoughts become actions?
I'd like you to read Minority Report by Philip K. Dick and discuss the story's perception of thought/action. Feel free to discuss Raskolnikov or any other related topic to further our understanding of the fine line between thought and action.
The Minority Report deals with a fine line between thoughts and action - choice. The key factor that results in the precogs' multiple reports is the mind - and in Anderton's particular case, the knowledge of his own future. These choices can sometimes be impulsive - the only difference between Anderton killing Kaplan at the army rally or not, for example, is whether or not Anderton wanted the Precrime system to survive. In addition to that, Anderton noted "deliberate murder [had] died out" because of influence of Precrime on people's actions - therefore, it would seem that the only crime left to be picked up by the precogs are impulsive ones. This explains in some part the existence of minority reports and especially emphasizes the importance of choice - thoughts can fluctuate and change even at the last minute, heavily impacting the nature of an action.
ReplyDeleteDouglas highlighted that under the Pre-Crime system "deliberate murder [had] died out", leaving only impulsive crimes to be detected. Doesn't this simply mean that under Pre-Crime, only true crime remains? Deliberate murder can be seen as crime caused by the enactment of a thought, of a thought stemming from a material condition. In Raskolnikov's case, there are many material conditions that lead to his murder of the Ivanovnas - these include his love and lust for his sister, his disillusionment with 19th Century Russia, and most importantly his disgust with patriarchy. Another argument could be made that he simple needed the money. Regardless, Raskolnikov's crime (the murder of Alyona) would have been negated under the Pre-Crime system; however, his impulsive crime (the murder of Lizaveta) would never have occurred since he never would have been caught off guard in the Ivanovna flat. Therefore, both crimes fall to the Pre-Crime system.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the Pre-Crime loophole is extensive. Impulsive murder is not "impulsive" in that it is uncontrollable; in being radically wild and unrepressed, it is a completely "deliberate" explosion of primal desire. Here is where deliberate and impulsive murder fall apart and form simple murder, the true crime where thought usurps action and carries out what it wants - or is it the other way around?
Thoughts become actions through reality. Reality is the fine line between thought and action because it determines whether thoughts become acted upon. I feel that the Minority Report also eludes to a paradox in time and space- theory and reality. Thought is tied in with theory as action is tied with reality. All of this can be related back to Crime and Punishment through Rasolnikov's dreams and hallucinations. They create an illusion of different outcomes from the incident just like the Precogs' varying reports. Rasolnikov's thoughts crossed into reality right when he was about to deliver a fatal blow to his victim. His thoughts leading up until that point were only in theory as he tried to justify what he was going to do.
ReplyDeleteA thought becomes an action when a person convinces him or herself that this action is absolutely necessary. In Minority Report, Anderton convinced himself that there was no other way to keep the precrime system, that he had created, running. If he did not kill Kaplan, then the system would be gone because it would be proved invalid, although in truth it was working correctly.
ReplyDeleteThe consequences of the action can also be an important part of making the idea of it into an actual action. For example, if there is a big chance that one could get away with stealing something, like a loaf of bread, then there is also a bigger chance that the person would steal.
Raskolnikov convinced himself that he was not committing a crime when he was committing murder. He believed that there were two kinds of people, the extraordinary and the ordinary, and that the extraordinary are allowed to kill other people.Because he classified himself as extraordinary, he believed he was allowed to kill.