The Invasion of Privacy - Essay Example

The Invasion of Privacy 1) What are some of the possible moral issues raised by the movie Inception? Assuming that it was possible to have access to another person’s dreams, would it be morally acceptable to do so. What would Marcuse who subscribed to the Freud’s theory of the unconscious have to say about the movie Inception?  From the very core concept of the film, it can be argued that everything is already morally wrong. Probing other people’s thoughts without consent is already a grave offense of one’s privacy on its own, much more in order to steal and redeem fatal secrets and to manipulate someone into doing an action. The invasion of privacy is always a very serious and sensitive matter. But, then again, Cobb’s team is not made to appear in good light with regards to their job which is why there are severe dangers to their profession. But with permission, accessing of thoughts (although far from the fictitious modus operandi of Cobb and team) is used by psychologists for therapeutic purposes in order to unburden their patient’s subconscious and give them better internal peace. The Inception concept could also likewise be used in the same light but, as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. Such technology is fatal in the wrong hands, and this would be alarming if is popularly used. As evident in the movie, although Fischer is put in the villain spotlight, it is disturbing to consider how they can manipulate him into destroying a whole business conglomerate only for the benefit of another business man. This clearly depicts that because of their drive fueled by selfish motives and intentions, they blatantly disregard the damage that they could have inflicted on their victim, be it moral or any other. It is also noteworthy how the victims are very much vulnerable and susceptible to these kinds of intrusions. By implanting an idea deep into the subconscious, probability would dictate that on several occasions such implanted idea might result to a negative interpretation by the host. This can pose several psychologically damaging issues to the Fischer and might even result to instability of his personality. Cobb and his team were also insensitive enough to destroy relationships of the host to other people. Though they were proud to state that they might have cured the relationship with his father, it was not a primal intention, and even if so, they are playing god by toying with the affairs and manipulating the actions of their victim. Freud’s theory of the unconscious states that there are three different levels might operate. These are the conscious, preconscious, and the unconscious (Clarke 208). The film also works in this premise when they operated with their victim. Subscribing to Freud’s theory of the unconscious, it states that the id represents the passion of the human being and is entirety unconscious (Ocay 14). This is thus what Cobb and his team targeted to incept with. They harnessed the vulnerability of their victim’s relationship with his father and his commitment to continue his father’s legacy. This is the id, and this is the passion of the host that they manipulated into thinking their own bidding. 2) Mill raised the question as to whether one would prefer to be a pig satisfied or a Socrates dissatisfied? In this regards elaborate upon his views? Mill employs the concept of Utilitarianism, which is also known as the Greatest Happiness Principle (Mills 4). Happiness is defined as the presence of intended pleasure and the absence of pain. Therefore, the key elements of happiness is the presence of the quality of pleasure and the lack of pain, and some other pleasures are enacted in order to even avoid pain. Mill argues that some pleasures might be instinctually better than others but only independently so. By acting on our personal selfish pleasures, we can be easily satisfied. By only settling on these pleasures Mill likens an individual to that of a pig. He further argues that there are different levels and qualities of pleasure and being human means that we should not settle on just such beastly levels of contentment but rather pursue a higher level of pleasure that is befitting our intellect (Blackman 241). People should minimize their acts of selfishness and rather focus on their affection for others. By doing so, the mind is cultivated to act for the betterment of the whole society which would then provide a higher sense of being and a better quality of pleasure. A person might have the quantity of pleasure, but it is easily trumped by having a higher quality experience of pleasure. Which is why he concludes that “it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied” (Mills 2). This is highlighted by comparing, say, eating candy and reading poetry; although it can be personally more satisfying eating candy for an hour, it will prove to be a lesser valued pleasure as compared to the implicating pleasure and achievement of reading poetry. It is interesting to note that as the quality of pleasure gets higher so does it become more complex in achieving it, and those of the lower quality pleasures are those that we share with the pigs like eating, drinking, smelling, defecating, and even fornicating. These enumerated acts are very individualistic and self-centered and pleasure is only derived for the sole benefit of the individual. Such pleasures are only very short lived and shallow and would thus leave a hole of lack of contentment in the longer run for they do not provide a sense of real purpose to the individual. The core essence of Mill’s theory is that humans should act and be satisfied as how humans should be, and not as mere beasts. We have been given the exclusive capability of thinking critically and having the luxury of choice in our actions and are not limited by basic primal instincts, therefore we must not succumb too mere bestial achievements and pleasures. While such low quality pleasures are also part of life, but we must be more engaging in seeking out more fulfilling kinds and channels of pleasure. Works Cited Blackman, Reid. “Mill, Utilitarianism.” What Utilitarianism Is. 238-249. Print. Clarke, Graham. “Failures of the ‘moral defense’ in the films Shutter Island, Inception and Memento: narcissism or schizoid personality disorder.” The International Journal of Psychoanalysis (2012) 93: 203-218. Print. Mill, John Stuart. “Utilitarianism.” Philosophy Readings: Article Series. 1-27. Print. Ocay, Jeffrey V. “Eroticizing Marx, Revolutionizing Freud: Marcuse’s Psychoanalytic Turn”. Kritike Volume Three Number One. (2009). 10-23. Print. Read More