Omelas, the perfect society. No, my perfect society. “Would you walk away?” you ask. Knowing that the child in the cellar is being sacrificed for my happiness, the society’s happiness, the answer is quite simple, no. As a human being, I am selfish, only seeking means that advantage my own desires and gains. Why would I walk away from the perfect society and throw away my happiness? Because of a miserable child? Now, that’s just crazy talk! Even if I chose to leave, he would’ve continued to suffer. I believe that if I left now, the child’s suffering and misery would’ve been for nothing. Some would argue that, that kind of mentality should be looked down upon, but the modern society is exactly the same. I would just live my life, oblivious to the fact that someone else is suffering for me, because like I stated early, humans are selfish beings. In nicer words, I would live life for the child in the cellar, not letting his misery be put to waste, and to enjoy every blessing in the society. Thank you, child in cellar, for creating and sustaining this utopian society.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Would I Walk Away from Omelas...
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Hi Julia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your honest response. I appreciate the frankness of your analysis. You are correct to highlight the hypocrisy inherent in altruistic answers about the child: if we don't do anything about this type of injustice in our own lives, why pretend that we would take action in this hypothetical scenario?
And, thank you for keeping Le Guin's 'rules' in mind: the child cannot be helped without ruining the utopia for everyone else.
I think your analysis could be strengthened, however, by fleshing out your argument in a bit more detail. And, there are some issues you should consider as your continue to think about this tough question. Does the structure of our own society actually justify the structure of the utopia of Omelas? Can it be excused because of our wrong-doings? Do two wrongs make a right?
Also, you justify your answer by arguing that humans are intrinsically selfish. However, this does not take into consideration what 'ought' to be the case. You may be correct about how human beings act in most cases. But, in ethical dilemmas, we are striving for an answer about what ought to be the case - not was 'is' the case. Just because we act a particular way most of the time, does that justify our choice to continue acting in this manner?