Lesson of Ethics

Rating: 7/10 (13 January 2011)

What can you learn from this movie?
There is two types of ethics, what you can follow. But only one at the same time. as Max Weber says, the ethic of conviction and the ethic of responsibility.
The ethic of conviction means, that you, for example, never lie. What you feels, is correct and good. The ethic of responsibility means, that, each of your action is being rationally computed caring about all the consequences. See more in Dostoievskij's Karamazov Brothers the conversation of reborn Jesus (conviction) against the Great Inquisitor (responsibility).
The beginning of the movie, Shelton is the man, who is forced to be the man of conviction. I feel sorry for him and understand his behavior. Nick Rice, the working class hero of the system seems like a guy of responsibility.
After 10 years we realize that Nick Rice is forced to be a man of conviction and Shelton turned out to be the perfect responsibility-thinking criminal, a real genius. He spent the last 10 years planning to create a diabolic burning hell to all of his enemies, Rice at the first place.
Shelton exchange his ethic to Rice's. That's the two sides of this coin.