MONTEVERDE, Angelo Seigfreid S.

ETHICS

4LM1

1) - In the film Crimson Tide, the Captain of the ship had ignorance which is
invincible, this is because he sees the situation as their mission and what will matter
there are the orders given to them. The Captain is also invincibly ignorant when he
called for a drill during a fire in one part of their ship, he pointed out that the confusion
in that certain happening must be taken advantage, and in here he did not realize that the
drill could have been a source of a bigger problem than a help to them, meaning it could
have become another dilemma that could lead them to a failed mission. Furthermore,
because of the Captains belief that he must solely follow orders given to them he
became invincibly ignorant about other things inside the ship. On the other hand the
XOs knowledge of an occurrence of a mass destruction that can be brought about by
the launch nuclear weaponries made him vincibly ignorant. Moreover, the XO of the
ship is also vincibly ignorant when he attended to a fire occurring in one of the rooms
inside the ship. In light of ethical concepts, the voluntariness present in the act done by
the XO is not destroyed but only lessened and because of this he was able to save their
men and fulfill his duty on them. Lastly, the XO intended good when he organized a
mutiny against the Captain therefore putting less guilt on him because of the good
effect.

2) - The XO had a shift of ignorance when he anticipated the complete order in the
incomplete EAM they received during an attack because of his decision not to launch
the missiles even though he could be right or wrong and also given the fact that he has
knowledge of the rules governing them, but it is also given that he desires the
prevention on the war, thus making him vincibly ignorant.

3) - When the ship was attacked it took some damage causing one hatch to leak and
eventually lead to flooding, it made two choices for the XO to seal the hatch or not; the
XO chose to seal the hatch. In light of the principle of double-effect, the intention of the
XO is good even though the act itself of closing the hatch is not good considering it will
lead to the loss of some men, but his decision to seal the hatch and to sacrifice a few
men is reasonable enough because it will save more people and the ship itself, in totality
he still desired good. Furthermore, his act is also supported by the principle of
utilitarianism.

4) There came a point in the course of the story when the Captain a gun to the Wep
Con to fire the missiles, but when he realized that the Wep Con is the only one who
possesses the launch code he turned the gun and pointed it to a petty officer --- in the
ethical principle of utilitarianism applies in this situation considering seven
circumstances: first. The Captains act of pointing a gun to his own men is not
something that ordinarily happens in a normal situation or in a battlefield, the pressure
present accentuated the current situation they are facing that is to launch the missiles or

not, the intensity of the act itself made the value of the task to be done higher. Second.
The duration of the act done by the Captain affected the situation in the sense that as the
pointing of the gun prolongs, more fear of pain and participation is established, thus
compelling the Wep Con to act in accordance with the Captains intention. Third. There
is certainty present in the Captains act, he first pointed the gun to the Wep Con but after
realizing that the Wep Con is the only one who knows the launch code he then turned
the gun to a petty officer. The Captains aim is certain and that is to be able to lock in
the codes to launch the missiles thus making the pleasure of fulfilling the act greater and
instilling more pain to whoever he will actually fire the gun onto. Fourth. The venue of
the situation is not remote considering that they are in an enclosed vessel made out of
steel, the distance between the doer of the act and the affected party is eventually makes
the force of pain greater. Fifth. The fecundity makes the Captains act greater as it is
followed by pleasure to the petty officer being safe from the gun pointed unto him if the
Wep Con do as the Captain said so, pleasure to the Wep Con for he will be relieved
from his fear as soon as he fulfills the order, and the Captain if he accomplishes the
thing to be done based on his belief of the whole situation. Sixth. The purity of the
Captains act lessens the pleasure in the act, that is, the act could lead to a situation
where the pain could be followed by an opposite sensation because the aim of the pain
established in the first act is to establish pleasure in the end. Seventh. The act extends
not only to the people present inside the ship but also to their enemy, to their own
country and most of all to all people in the people for the act firsthand can cause an act
to happen which determines war and destruction itself.