Are we predetermined?
The movie Minority report talks about future murders that are stopped by pre-crime police before they happen. This avoids unfortunate outcomes, changing events. The ones who actually foresee the future are triplets who have this ability, and they are kept under control to avoid feeling pain and their Dopamine levels are kept steady so that they don’t feel stress.
John Anderton: Why’d you catch that?
Danny Witwer: Because it was going to fall.
John Anderton: You’re certain?
Danny Witwer: Yeah.
John Anderton: But it didn’t fall. You caught it. The fact that you prevented it from happening doesnt change the fact that it was *going* to happen.
Through visions, the police is capable of stopping crime before it happens, so they control the future by having clues. The main problem comes when the representative of Justice evaluates the program and begins to ask ethical questions to find flaws to a «perfect» system which is human. Human nature is not predetermined, flaws and errors that make them act differently from what is expected. For example, a guy finds out that his wife is having an affair, so he wants to kill them, but before he stabs them with scissors he repents. An intention was shown, but then at the moment of making a decision, the he backs down. So, is he guilty? According to the precrime police he is, because he was determined to kill, but what they don’t see is his repentance. They don’t consider human nature’s mistakes that may change due to the moral values and conscience they have.
John Anderton: [about Witwer’s father] What does he think about your chosen line of work?
Danny Witwer: I don’t know. He was shot and killed when I was 15 on the steps of our church in Dublin. I know what it’s like to lose someone close, John. ‘Course, nothing is like the loss of a child. I don’t have any children of my own, so I can only imagine what that must’ve been like. To lose your son – in such a public place like that. At least now you and I have the chance to make sure that kind of thing doesn’t happen to anyone…
John Anderton: Why don’t you cut the cute act, Danny boy, and tell me exactly what it is you’re looking for?
Danny Witwer: Flaws.
John Anderton: There hasn’t been a murder in 6 years. There’s nothing wrong with the system, it is perfect.
Danny Witwer: perfect. I agree. But if there’s a flaw, it’s human. It always is.
We can’t be guilty for an intention, it has to happen. That thought is bad, but it can be amended if we repent or stop ourselves from doing it. That is the true human nature; the fact that we are able to control ourselves and avoid disasters because we are free to choose the good and the bad.
John Anderton: No doubt the precogs have already seen this.
Lamar Burgess: No doubt.
John Anderton: You see the dilemma don’t you. If you don’t kill me, precogs were wrong and precrime is over. If you do kill me, you go away, but it proves the system works. The precogs were right. So, what are you going to do now? What’s it worth? Just one more murder? You’ll rot in hell with a halo, but people will still believe in precrime. All you have to do is kill me like they said you would. Except you know your own future, which means you can change it if you want to. You still have a choice Lamar. Like I did.
John Anderton: [voiceover] In 2054, the six-year Precrime experiment was abandoned. All prisoners were unconditionally pardoned and released, though police departments kept watch on many of them for years to come. Agatha and the twins were transferred to an undisclosed location, a place where they could find relief from their gifts. A place where they could live out their lives in peace
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