EXPLAIN THE ETHICAL

Norvelin Pichardo

Portfolio One

PHI2604

Animal Rights/Blackfish

EXPLAIN THE ETHICAL THEORY KNOWN AS VIRTUE ETHICS.

Virtue ethics refers to a philosophy developed by Aristotle. It is a character-based approach to mortality. This theory indicates that practice is vital in the process of virtue acquisition. Virtue ethics contrasts with the view that virtue is present in the world as a natural representation of goodness. Virtue ethics being character-based means that there are different traits and forms of virtue, but all come from constant practice in one’s moral character. For instance, courage would be considered a type of bravery and resoluteness, but bravery comes from years of constantly acting bravely, whereas resoluteness is often displayed when you are angry or feel threatened.

INCLUDE A ONE-PAGE CRITIQUE OF VIRTUE ETHICS.

PROVIDE A ONE PAGE REPORT IN YOUR OWN WORDS ABOUT AN ON-LINE ARTICLE THAT RELATES TO SEA WORLD. ATTACH THE ARTICLE TO YOUR REPORT.

The article, “SeaWorld should set captive orcas free” stipulates Jean-Michel Cousteau’s calling on the SeaWorld to release its captive orcas. The Oceanographic explorer, indicates that “They need to be released and put back into a place where we can keep an eye on them and they can reconnect with nature,”. Cousteau and his organization Ocean Future Society has been advocating for the release of marine mammals in captivity, a movement that has created conflict with advocacy groups such as People for the Ethical treatment of Animals which are calling for the closure of all marine mammal parks. The article indicates that SeaWorld is “one of the most controversial institutions in North America” due to its poor treatment of orcas. The article also mentions that this type of treatment is not limited to SeaWorld, but it is instead industry-wide phenomenon. Nowadays, there are at least 81 orcas currently held captive in marine parks, zoos and aquaria across the globe (Jean-Michel 4).

PROVIDE A ONE-PAGE SUMMARY OF A TED TALK, YOUR CHOICE AND IN YOUR OWN WORDS, THAT RELATES TO ANIMAL RIGHTS.

ANSWER STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS

*How do you think the former SeaWorld trainers felt when they saw orcas in the wild? What makes you think so?

*How would you describe SeaWorld’s actions regarding the separation of mother and their calves?

*How would you describe the capture of orcas in the 1970’s that was depicted in the film?

*What are some reasons why people in the films became trainers at SeaWorld?

*SeaWorld declines to comment on the documentary. How do you feel about that?

DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES:

Sentience: The capacity to experience feelings and sensations.

Speciesism: Discrimination against nonhuman animals just because of their species.

Rationality: The quality or state of being rational, that is, being based on or agreeable to reason.

Soul: the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.

INCLUDE A 3 PAGE PAPER ON ANIMAL RIGHTS RELATED TO THE FILM/DOCUMENTARY

PROVIDE THE REQUIRED MLA COVER PAGE

UTILIZE INTERNAL CITATION(s) AND WORKS CITIED PAGE IN MLA FORMAT, YOUR BEST WRITING SKILLS

ATTACH “REQUIREMENTS FOR PORTFOLIO ISSUE PAPER”.

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Miami-Dade College

Blackfish Film and Ethics

Norvelin Pichardo

Critical Thinking/Ethics – PHI2604

Donna Fischer-Williams

February 5, 2022

1. SUMMARY OF THE FILM IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

The documentary titled ‘Blackfish’ is mainly regarding the history of whales based on how they were treated by humans before one’s attack against them. The Blackfish film illustrates the segregation, hunting practices, and extinction that face the sea world which comprise of the whales and other animals. These practices are effectively demonstrated in the Tilikum captivity ordeal, the dolphin hunting procedure and many other ways in which the hunt practices are conducted during whale hunts of sea creatures. The movie reveals these incidents to the audience and tells them that there is no need to have a look at these cruel acts which are happening in the field. The people who are involved in these activities have thought it fit to kill whales and other marine animals thinking of their own safety and convenience. In this way, they also avoid being criminals by the people who are watching them doing this activity.

2. EXPLAIN HOW A CHARACTER’S CHOICE/DECISION EXEMPLIFIES A PARTICULAR ETHICAL THEORY

3. EXPLAIN HOW THE FILM RELATES TO THE ISSUE WE ARE DISCUSSING AND READING ABOUT IN CLASS.

4. IDENTIFY ONE CHARACTER WHO MAKES AN ETHICAL CHOICE/DECISION. WHAT MAKES THE CHOICE/DECISION ETHICAL RATHER THAN ORDINARY.

5. REFERENCE ONE PHILOSOPHER IN THE TEXT WHO TAKES A POSITION ON THE ISSUE WE ARE READING ABOUT IN CLASS. WHAT ARE HIS/HER REASONS FOR DOING SO.

Virtue ethics also suggests that healthy interpersonal relationships can have their own virtues (Van Zyl, 46). For example, generosity would be one such virtue for many people around the world since it’s seen as a way to give and express care for others without expecting anything in return.

The blackfish film is closely related with virtue ethics. The blackfish documentary shows the lives of people working with Orcas. It follows the life of a famous orca trainer, Dawn Brancheau, who was killed by an orca in 2010 at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. While it seems that few people would care about the death of a whale trainer, this film sparks controversy on how animals are treated in such places. This movie is praised for its engaging and emotive portrayal of animal abuse and exploitation in captivity; therefore, it can be said that it is virtuous. The film portrays the lives of whales and what really goes on behind closed doors at places like SeaWorld.

In this film, Orca is discussed to demonstrate great aggressiveness after being incarcerated in the SeaWorld. However, SeaWorld has been fighting against that idea. Since the film was released, it has caused a great amount of controversy on the trainers working in such places and the killers have been removed from captivity. The film is not just about killer whales but also about how they are treated by humans. In general, Blackfish documentary is a great piece on how we treat animals, including whales and dolphins, in captivity at SeaWorld in John Krasinski’s directorial debut. It is an emotional documentary with power conversations to help change our perspective of animal rights and treatment.

This movie has greatly demonstrated the role of ethics in the society and how the society must truly have ethical and moral values to have a better society. The film has shown us that the real leaders of this world are the people who are kind and give love to everyone (Cowperthwaite). The people who are cruel and hate to others will be thrown away from his or her position. This has been showed by the documentary and I can’t state it more properly than that. This article discusses ethical issues surrounding the use of exotic or trained marine mammals for entertainment purposes and how Blackfish, as well as other films such as Dolphin Diary helped to raise awareness in this topic. This is an important discussion that needs to be more widely discussed.

During the film, I felt so sorry for the animals of SeaWorld, who live in small aquariums and must experience horrible things. They are beaten and forced to perform extremely unnatural acts while they were helpless and defenseless. There are stories about orcas attacking their trainers in their habitats at SeaWorld, something that is always talked about in this documentary film. No one seems to believe what really happened to these orcas before the attack or why did it happen at all. Blackfish wants to give its opinion on why those killings happened because of ethical issues inside SeaWorld company.

The film teaches us to always think twice before taking an action. This is mostly vital when those actions tend to infringe other people’s rights of expression or liberty. The people who are cruel like those in this film will never be rewarded and they will be erased from the society. The importance of showing the good and bad sides of this world can never be over emphasized, especially when you are seeing it on large screen. Those who have such values in mind must see this film to foster their ethical and moral values into what they do for a living. In a time where we have to share our opinion about many things whether good or bad, we must still remember that these opinions may not just be expressed by us but also by people around us too. Even if a few people do not support you, it does not mean that you are wrong.

From the film, we can also see how the marine family face harsh training and punishments. These shows the level of lack of empathy in the society and its effects. In this article, we can read the following: “Blackfish would probably be a better film if it had not been produced to make a point about the ethics of keeping marine animals in captivity. Yet despite its intent, Blackfish also humanizes marine animals and exposes their suffering and desperation.”

Thus, animal rights have been a major topic since the production of the Blackfish film. The movie has demonstrated animal abuse on a grand scale, with the orcas being kept in captivity and abused by SeaWorld. The documentary rightfully gained much attention from the people of the world who care about animal rights (Stokes 160). Not to mention, the film has also received criticism throughout its run-on different channels such as social media and traditional news media. When it turns out that these supposed “animal rights activists” are actually just taking advantage of this marine park, Animal Rights Organization has created an action plan for what needs to be done in order to help save these animals and make them happy once again. The Blackfish film is a must watch for anyone who is interested in animal rights or activism as a whole (whether they care about orcas or not).

Works Cited

“Jean-Michel Cousteau: Seaworld Should Set Captive Orcas Free”. The Guardian, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/27/seaworld-free-captive-orcas-jean-michel-cousteau. Accessed 1 Feb 2022.

Cowperthwaite, G., Oteyza, M. V., Despres, E., Ingalls, J., Towey, C., Beal, J., Blackfish. Magnolia Pictures (Firm), Magnolia Home Entertainment (Firm). (2013)

Stokes, Ashli Q., and Wendy Atkins-Sayre. “PETA, rhetorical fracture, and the power of digital activism.” Public Relations Inquiry 7.2 (2018): 149-170.

Van Zyl, Liezl. Virtue ethics: A contemporary introduction. Routledge, 2018.