Philosophy In Death Note

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Philosophy is evident throughout our everyday lives and is a part of everything we do. Philosophical ideas and theories are a part of our existence and one especially prevalent in media. An example of how can be found in the Japanese anime “Death Note”. “Death Note” was created by Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba in 2003. “Death Note” deals with a variety of philosophical question but focuses on issues of ethics, and personhood. “Death Note” follows the journey of one Light Yagami a bored Japanese highschool student whose father is a police chief leading to his obsession with justice. Light is side of the rotten state of the world but is powerless to change it until a Shinigami (Japanese death god) named Ryuk drops his death note into the world …show more content…

The “Death Note” has many rules regarding its use however the most important of which is “The human whose name is written in this note shall die.” Light soon tests out its powers and decides to purge the world of criminals and evil by using the death note. Light Yagami becomes Kira and attracts the attention of the world’s best detective called L who with the help of the Japanese police force vows to stop and catch Kira at all costs. Light and L both believe that they are the embodiment of justice and that they are completely correct in their different moral beliefs.
Of the many philosophical issues raised in “Death Note” is an issue of ethics. Specifically is Light ethically wrong or immoral because of the means he uses, or does his end goal negate the wrongfulness of those actions. Light uses the death note to not only purge the world of criminals but also to eliminate all those who would stand in his way including twelve FBI agents sent to help catch Kira. Light uses the death note to bring about the dawn of a new world free from crime, one populated by kind, honest, hardworking, and trustworthy people who he has deemed worthy. Two major ethical theories represented by Light and L are shown in “Death Note” Light represents Jeremy Bentham’s theory of utilitarianism whereas L represents Immanuel Kant’s categorical

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