Preface xi
The Pilot Episode: Ethics and Popular Culture 1
What is Ethics? 1
How Do We Make Progress in Ethics ? 9
What Does Pop Culture Have to Do with Ethics? 29
Series I. Is Anything "Good" on Television?
The Nature of Moral Value
Episode 1: Truth and Nihilism in Ethics 33
Introduction 33
The case for nihilism 39
J. L. Mackie, "The Argument from Queerness," from Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong 39
The case for realism 41
C. S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity 41
Case study: The Office (UK), "Work Experience," series 1 43
Study questions 45
Alternative case studies 46
Episode 2: Normativity - Social, Legal, and Moral 47
Introduction 47
You promised to play by the rules! 50
John Rawls, "Legal Obligation and the Duty of Fair Play" 50
What does my neighbor have to do with my goodness? 55
John Stuart Mill, "Of the Limits to the Authority of Society over the Individual" from On Liberty 55
Case study: The Sopranos, "College," season 1 57
Study questions 60
Alternative case studies 60
Episode 3: God and Ethics 61
Introduction 61
What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? 65
Plato, Euthyphro 65
Does God make the law or does he just let us in on it? 69
C. S. Lewis, from The Problem of Pain 69
Case study: Law & Order, "God Bless the Child," season 2 73
Study questions 75
Alternative case studies 76
Series II. What's Right and Wrong? Ethical Theory
Episode 4: Moral Relativism 79
Introduction 79
Are we merely products of our culture? 83
Ruth Benedict, "A Defense of Ethical Relativism" 83
Relativism is unjustified 86
James Rachels, "The Challenge of Cultural Relativism" 86
Case study 1: Deadwood, "Childish Things," season 2 91
Case study 2: South Park, "Death Camp of Tolerance," season 6 93
Study questions 95
Alternative case studies 95
Episode 5: Deontology 97
Introduction 97
Kant's theory of moral duty 98
Immanuel Kant, from Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals 98
Case study 1: Arrested Development, "Not without My Daughter," season 1 105
Contemporary Deontology 109
Case study 2: Friends, "The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS," season 5 109
Study questions 112
Alternative case studies 113
Episode 6: Consequentialism 114
Introduction 114
Mill's theory of utility 115
John Stuart Mill, from Utilitarianism 115
Case study 1: Battlestar Galactica, "You Can't Go Home Again," season 1 127
Case study 2: The Twilight Zone (Newer), "Cradle of Darkness," season 1 129
Study questions 131
Alternative case studies 132
Episode 7: Virtue Ethics 133
Introduction 133
Aristotle's theory of virtue 134
Aristotle, from Nicomachean Ethics 134
Case study 1: Foyle's War, "Enemy Fire," set 3 143
Case study 2: Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Hide and Q," season 1 147
Study questions 151
Alternative case studies 152
Series III. But What's Right When . . . ? Practical Ethics
Episode 8: Environmental Ethics 155
Introduction 155
Two Approaches to Environmental Ethics 157
Silly environmentalists, nature is for people 160
William Baxter, "People or Penguins" 160
Case study 1: Northern Exposure, "Zarya," season 6 162
Case study 2: Family Guy, "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One," season 5 165
Study questions 168
Alternative case studies 169
Episode 9: Animal Welfare 170
Introduction 170
Two Dead Ends 171
Three Approaches to Animal Welfare 173
Animals are morally valuable, but not as valuable as adult humans 179
Mary Anne Warren, "Difficulties with the Strong Rights Position" 179
Case study 1: Bones, "Finger in the Nest," season 4 182
Case study 2: House, M.D., "Babies and Bathwater," season 1 184
Study questions 187
Alternative case studies 188
Episode 10: Abortion 189
Introduction 189
One Common Assumption 190
Six Fallacies to Avoid 191
Judith Jarvis Thomson and the Violinist Argument 197
Mary Anne Warren and the Space Explorer 200
Abortion is wrong for the same reason that killing adults is wrong 202
Don Marquis, "Why Abortion is Immoral" 202
Case study 1: Law & Order, "Dignity," season 20 203
Case study 2: Maude, "Maude's Dilemma - Parts 1 and 2," season 1 206
Study questions 208
Alternative case studies 209
Episode 11: Homosexuality 210
Introduction 210
Arguments Against the Permissibility of Homosexuality 213
Arguments for the Permissibility of Homosexuality 216
Additional Concerns 220
New natural law theory and the morality of homosexuality 220
Stephen Macedo, "Homosexuality and the Conservative Mind"; Robert George and Bradley Gerard, "Marriage and the Liberal Imagination" 220
Case study 1: Law & Order, "Manhood," season 3 225
Case study 2: Family Guy, "You May Now Kiss the . . . Uh . . . Guy Who Receives," season 4 227
Study questions 230
Alternative case studies 231
Episode 12: Punishment and Capital Punishment 232
Introduction 232
Theories of Punishment 234
Arguments For and Against Capital Punishment 241
Capital punishment is unjustified 244
Jeffrey Reiman, "The Justice of the Death Penalty in an Unjust World" 244
Case study 1: Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The Hunted," season 3 246
Case study 2: Oz, "Capital P," season 1 249
Study questions 252
Alternative case studies 253
Episode 13: Assisted Suicide 254
Introduction 254
A Few Terms 255
Three Moral Arguments Against the Permissibility of Assisted Suicide 256
Moral and Practical Arguments for the Permissibility of Assisted Suicide 260
The good of society depends on assisted suicide 261
Daniel Callahan, "Aging and the Ends of Medicine" 261
Case study 1: Picket Fences, "Abominable Snowman," season 2 262
Case study 2: Scrubs, "My Jiggly Ball," season 5 266
Study questions 268
Alternative case studies 269
The Epilogue: Does TV Erode Our Values? 270
The Moral Influence of Television 270
The Debate Over Censorship 271
A Kantian Reason not to Censor 272
Case study 1: Family Guy, "PTV," season 4 273
Utilitarian Reasons not to Censor 274
Moral Reasons to Censor 275
Exploitation, Objectification, and TV 277
Case study 2: Toddlers & Tiaras (any episode) 279
Reality TV and Psychological Harm 283
That's All Folks! 286
Study questions 286
References 288
Index 295
