we're challenged to consider whether the end justifies the means. I think the moral problem here is that the answer to that depends on who is answering the question. There's no clear yes or no to this, and depending on whose pov we're looking at it from, our reactions vary from 'wow, how clever!' to 'how the hell could he?' (Heck, my reaction varies, depending on my mood when reading the chapter.)
there's also an essential darkness of character that no amount of brain zapping can destroy I think he is gentler than when he was in pain, but IMO he is innately incapable of allowing society's moral code to dictate his actions. Looking at S1 (the season where he showed a lot of compassion and understanding) and the Vogler arc, I think that it wasn't his intention to hurt the people around him, least of all Wilson, but both he and Wilson knew that he was incapable of acting differently, no matter how badly Wilson got hurt. The many contradictory reactions to this chapter show that moral judgment is not a constant, but a result of many different factors. House doesn't allow other people's reactions to affect his actions, which makes it very difficult to deal with him.
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Date: 2014-08-29 07:22 pm (UTC)I think the moral problem here is that the answer to that depends on who is answering the question. There's no clear yes or no to this, and depending on whose pov we're looking at it from, our reactions vary from 'wow, how clever!' to 'how the hell could he?' (Heck, my reaction varies, depending on my mood when reading the chapter.)
there's also an essential darkness of character that no amount of brain zapping can destroy
I think he is gentler than when he was in pain, but IMO he is innately incapable of allowing society's moral code to dictate his actions. Looking at S1 (the season where he showed a lot of compassion and understanding) and the Vogler arc, I think that it wasn't his intention to hurt the people around him, least of all Wilson, but both he and Wilson knew that he was incapable of acting differently, no matter how badly Wilson got hurt. The many contradictory reactions to this chapter show that moral judgment is not a constant, but a result of many different factors. House doesn't allow other people's reactions to affect his actions, which makes it very difficult to deal with him.
Thanks for your unmitigated enthusiasm!