Jack Harkness, A Time Traveler - 847 Words

Perhaps you have heard of Jack Harkness, a time traveler, a friend of Doctor Who and the main character of BBC’s Torchwood series. A favorite character of the audiences when first introduced, Jack’s character was outwardly light hearted and funny, but underneath lay his anger and ruthlessness. Eventually, the series came to a head when Jack had to pick: kill his grandson, or, kill 10% of the earth’s children. BBC’s plot alludes to principles found in Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince. Published in 1513, The Prince intensely holds that achieving a goal is paramount, and therefore validates the methods used, regardless of their morality. We in 2015 would commonly recognize this idea as â€Å"the ends justify the means†. This idea has raised questions and scenarios that continually push the bound of morality. Should you be a government whistleblower? Is it acceptable to sacrifice your grandchild or any child to save the world? We never have the s ame answer to these questions. Certain are yes and others are no, but never all yes or all no, because the ends do justify the means when the goal’s positive benefits to society outweigh the moral negative of the actions taken. We will examine the different points in two main points, justified and unjustified action. Justified action occurs when the benefits of the goal significantly outweighs the moral costs of achievement. Additionally, the benefit must positively affect multiple people. Unlike Machiavelli stance, where personal power is