“Minority Report” viewing assignment

1. There are a few instances of moral dilemmas or freedom dilemmas involved in the film.  Try to identify and outline the nature of as many as you can.  Explain what the competing morals are in each case and argue how these should be resolved. As a start/hint consider:
1. how the pre-cogs look into people’s private lives
2. the arrest of those who are yet to commit a crime
3. what John’s options were when faced with the supposed killer of his son
4. the sacrifices in human life or freedom (there were at least three, a murder, a near murder and three forced confinements) needed to make Precrime succeed
5. the need to keep information about the flaws in Precrime away from public scrutiny
2. How does the movie deal with the issue of free will and determinism.  Think about what we discussed about this in class and consider what the course text says about it (Chapter 20).
3. How strong are the logical arguments for and against Precrime as presented in the movie.  Look at how emotionalism is used by both sides to support their arguments.  How is John’s (tragic) loss of his son used to gain public support for the program.  (Also consider the ad at the very beginning of our viewing.)