Rain, Rain Go Away, Turn a Zombie Some Other Day

            Imagine yourself as a researcher working on some of the most top secret experiments that could possibly destroy all of humanity if it got into the wrong hands. No pressure right? And only to add to this, what if the facility you worked in was not only underground where no one can find you, but is also completely controlled by a hi-tech central intelligence computer network that thinks as a human and could lock you inside the facility to die? Well in Resident Evil (2002 horror film), such a scenario happens and man am I glad I don't live there.
            The underground lab is known as "the hive" which is owned and operated by Umbrella Corporation and located under Raccoon City. The hi-tech central intelligence computer system, the "Red Queen", detects the airborne T-virus and locks everyone inside the hive to prevent the spread of the virus to the outside world. In the meantime, the Umbrella Corporation sends an elite rescue team down to the hive to figure out what is wrong and why the Red Queen locked everyone into the hive. The team must be quick in their search because after a few hours the hive will be completely sealed off and will trap anyone who is still inside. Little does the team know that the T-virus caused the entire population of the hive to turn into zombies...Dun Dun Dun...(cue suspenseful music)

Alice and Matt carrying Rain

            So to fast forward a bit through the movie, several characters die rather quickly which leaves us to the main group that is now in the fight to save their lives from the zombies. In the process of trying to get out of the hive, Alice, Rain, Kaplan, Matt, and Spence find themselves making many life or death choices. Meanwhile after several events that I am not going to get into, Kaplan gets injured and is left to die...Spence tries to kill Alice, Rain, and Matt so that he can go get the anti-virus for himself...Rain is slowly "turning" into a zombie because she got bit...and Alice is trying to lead the group out of the hive to go find Spence and get the anti-virus. As Rain is becoming sicker and sicker, the Red Queen gives Alice and Matt the ultimatum that if they kill Rain now she will help them get out of the hive, but if they don’t kill Rain then they will die. The Red Queen explains to them that the progression of Rain’s sickness is too far along for the anti-virus to be effective. So should Alice and Matt kill Rain or try to save both her and themselves?
            This can be argued from two points of views, the Kantian point of view and the Utilitarian point of view. The Kantian point of view argues the categorical imperative which holds “people accountable to their inner value of humanity” (Salazar 1392). Kant believes that people should be treated equally and be respected. Therefore, in the case of Rain who is slowing turning into a zombie, she should still be treated with equality as if she has still had a fighting chance. Kant also feels that those should “be motivated from duty, seeking to do what is right because it is right, and not from self-interest or sympathy” (Salazar 1392). Now one could argue that Alice and Matt are sympathizing with Rain to save her life but really, they want to save her life because they feel this is what is right and must be done. They feel they owe Rain the respect to save her from turning into a zombie.
            On the other hand, a utilitarian would argue that Alice and Matt should have killed Rain because, realistically speaking, they would be putting both themselves and the rest of mankind at risk by taking Rain with them to get the anti-virus and possibly exposing the T-virus to the rest of Raccoon City. Not only that, by taking Rain they would risk the chance of not making it out of the hive time due to the fact that she could drastically slow them down. Essentially, a utilitarian views that something should be done “only if those acts benefit include both short- and long-term consequences” (Salazar 1393). Utilitarians also believe that in order to keep the sacredness of humanity, self-sacrifice is a must. Therefore, Rain should sacrifice her life to save the rest of Raccoon City from possibly being exposed to the T-virus and to keep from Alice and Matt getting locked in the hive. Overall, by Rain sacrificing her life a short-term consequence would be Alice and Matt getting out alive and long-term would be the rest of humanity not potentially turning into Zombies.

See, they are creepy!

            So…what does everyone think happens? You will have to watch the movie to find out! In my opinion though, if I was Alice, I would have killed Rain and got out of that hive as quick as I could. No way would I be risking the chance of releasing zombies to the world and being eaten alive. And, I must admit, I really don’t like zombies…they give me the creeps!



References:
Salazar, Heather. “Self-Interest,” The New Catholic Encyclopedia, Series on Ethics and Morality, ed. by Robert  Fastiggi. Gale Cengage Learning, 2013