Contagion And Gattaca Analysis - 1498 Words

In faces of crises, people may go to any lengths to pursue what they feel is necessary. The films Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh in 2010, and GATTACA, directed by Andrew Niccol in 1997, both explore themes of morality in times of crises, whether these crises are of personal nature or affect a widespread population. Both films explore ethical implications of technology as it pertains to scientific development, and in addition weaves in a narrative surrounding various moral decisions regarding the personal relationships between principal characters. Collectively, Contagion and GATTACA ultimately force their audiences to confront ethics regarding justice to the general population as well as individual justice, and each film does so†¦show more content†¦On one hand, â€Å"the state has a duty to treat each and all of its citizens impartially,† allowing the government a level of power maintenance via respect from those it serves (Wardrope 2012). On the other hand , this complete impartiality may not be the most effective solution. Wardrope explains this argument by presenting a model that consists of two groups, group A and group B, with a handful of vaccines able to be awarded to only half of the combined population. Supposing group A lives could only be exposed to the disease via group B, it makes little sense to randomly distribute a limited supply of vaccines among both groups. With this information, the most logical solution would be to vaccinate the entirety of group B, which would consequently also protect group A (Wardrope 2010). As a result, the concept of â€Å"equal lottery for vaccine distribution entails an unequal lottery for state financial expenditure on vaccination† (Wardrope 2012). The morality of the lottery system for vaccine distribution is blurry, for the government treats its citizens, save the scientists and authorities imperative to the survival of the nation, with genuine impartiality, which appears just. How ever, as Wardrope would argue, this may not be truly the most ethical decision in that it is inefficient, and may conversely hurt those it aims to protect in attempt at being just. Similarly, the