The Ethics of Killing

This flow follows Robert Neville’s changing justification for destroying infected bodies and living hosts.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Necessity Argument

Killing to Survive Immediate Threat Robert Neville treats every infected person as someone who would kill him if given the chance. Moral Defense He tells himself that there is no alternative to staking or burning them. Emotional Residue His bodily reactions and hesitation show that the argument never fully suppresses conscience.

Experimental Cruelty

Subjects Instead of People Testing Robert Neville drags infected women into sunlight, exposes them to garlic, and displays a cross. Rationalization He frames these acts as experiments necessary to discover a cure or defense. Moral Deterioration Scientific purpose increasingly masks the fact that he has begun treating bodies as instruments.

Judgment Reversed

The Victim on Trial New Society’s Logic Ruth explains that her people kill the old vampires and Robert Neville to secure their survival. Mirror Argument Their justification resembles his own: dangerous infected bodies cannot coexist with the living. Recognition He hears his method returned as a moral indictment.

January 1976

1976年3月

January 1979