But what does it all mean? Philosophical interpretations of Doctor Who

Hey everyone! :smile:

I fully appreciate this is likely to be very much a niche topic with limited interest for many. That said, I enjoy the “What Maketh a Monster” thread so much and love taking deep-dives into Doctor Who. It’s always interesting to see what you can uncover or see differently.

Anyway, Doctor Who has, throughout my life, inspired me to develop an interest in so many different areas. These have also contributed significantly to shaping the person that I am today. To that end, in this thread I’m going to look closer at philosophical schools of thought in Doctor Who and what these might reveal about the Doctor, various companions and villains.

If it ends up just being me talking to myself, so be it. I’m still going to do it, because I just find it all so very fascinating. On the other hand, should anyone else want to dive in with me and join the discussion, well… that would be rather lovely!

My general approach will be to consider philosophies for interpreting the universe (looking outwards and making sense of what we see) and, contrastingly, philosophies that look inwards to help us understand ourselves better.

My starting point for this will be (and I’m still working on it) season 8 (since I’ve recently rewatched it) but I’m prepared to get sidetracked if need be. After all, wandering off the beaten track is something Doctor Who does very well narratively.

Anyway, that’s what this thread is intended to be about. If it’s for you, great! If not… well, I’m quite prepared to set out on my solitary journey if need be. I still want to go there! :wink:

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Nooooo - I still haven’t properly read the Monster thread - don’t give me another one to make me actually think about proper things! It will make my brain hurt!.

But it does sound like a great idea for a discussion.

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Aha! I shall still be working on the Monster thread. Creatures are my passion, from real world Earth biodiversity, through to the multiform diversity of life throughout the fictional Whoniverse… so there’s plenty to come on that score (the “Not-Things” of “Wild Blue Yonder” will be up next), but I just couldn’t resist setting up this thread as well. Glad you like the idea.

Making brains hurt by thinking properly about ‘stuff’ is a good thing. We should all do it more! :wink:

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Oh, this sounds interesting! I’m not sure how much I’ll have to contribute since I don’t really have much theoretical knowledge on it, but I love thinking about things like this! I’ve actually just started taking an introductory course on philosophy to gain a bit more understanding of it.

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Fantastic! Glad you’re up for this! And I’m sure you’ll have plenty to contribute. Don’t put yourself down. It’s mainly about asking questions concerning what we can (and should) believe and how (and why) we should act. Whilst I might throw around some philosophical terms, it certainly isn’t a prerequisite for people to have much prior knowledge… just to think, and to enjoy thinking about these things.

Great to have you aboard the good ship “What does it all mean?” :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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If I might have a shameless moment to promote my blog, I’ve got a few essays on there that are a little more of a literary examination, and most of them are about Gallifrey right now (wow shock!!) but one day I’ll have time to write out some more of my thoughts again. Maybe they will be of interest to you :slight_smile:

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Feel free to shamelessly promote your blog. Looks very interesting! You know that this means I’ll be expecting contributions from you as well now, right? :wink:

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Of course, I am sure I will have much to say :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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Season 8: Whilst it is difficult to know the Doctor’s internal motivations or reasoning for certain, there are plenty of indicators within the broadcast episodes that paint a complex, yet largely consistent view of his philosophical mindset. Themes that come through very strongly, though with different emphases depending on story and context, are; utilitarianism, logical positivism, critical rationalism and existentialism (though it’s worth bearing in mind that there are other philosophies touched upon throughout. As per usual, no-one can live exclusively with a particular philosophical worldview for people (and the universe) are complex.
Let’s have a slightly closer look at the Third Doctor’s utilitarianism as seen during season 8.

Utilitarianism is a philosophical approach to ethics that, simply put, recommends the best course of action in any given situation as the one that affords the greatest utility (typically, though not exclusively, the act that is most likely to lead to the the greatest good or most happiness for the largest number of people. Here, we look to the teachings of Jeremy Bentham (e.g. “An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation”, 1759), John Stuart Mill (e.g. “On Liberty”, 1859; “Utilitarianism”, 1863), and Henry Sidgwick (e.g. “The Methods of Ethics”, 1874). True utilitarianism requires application of; impartiality (i.e. all people should be treated equally with regards to their happiness), consequentialism (i.e. actions should be judged on the value of the outcomes), and maximisation of utility (i.e. the best action is the one most likely to result in the highest net positive outcome).

Of course, utilitarianism in its purest form is an ideal. In terms of real-world (or, indeed, Whoniversal) application, we are likely to see differences in terms of the judgements used by individuals (Captain Dent, for example, seems to strongly follow a form of Corporate Utilitarianism; profit as the ultimate goal, what is good for the company [IMC] has the greatest utility. Dent even says, quite explicitly, “What’s good for IMC is good for Earth. There are one hundred thousand million people back on Earth and they desperately need all the minerals we can find.”). Similarly, true impartiality is so rare as to be an unachievable moral ideal for most. As we look at the five stories in season 8, we can see that although the Doctor makes strong use of utilitarianism in much of his decision making, his application of this philosophy is imperfect (as might be predicted).

I shall be going deeper into this particular rabbit hole, highlighting specific examples and trying to get our heads into the Doctor’s reasoning at key points throughout the season. This, however, will have to wait until I have a little more time! :wink:

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I usually think I’m relatively clever and then I read things like this and realise that I’m only ever the cleverest person in the room at work - when the other inhabitants are usually under the age of 12…

Looks to be fascinating though.

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a) I’m sure that’s not true. :slightly_smiling_face:

b) Kids can be geniuses! Wasn’t it Ken Robinson who reported that children between the ages of 3-5 exhibit genius levels of divergent thinking?

c) Thank you! My (really rather brief) overview of utilitarianism is the most boring bit. I’m looking forward to delving into examples from the show. Much more fun. Much more interesting.

One thing I will say, though. Captain Dent is actually an extraordinarily well written villain. He is logically consistent, rationalises his actions through a very coherent (corporate) utilitarian lens, and genuinely believes he is making a positive difference. To him, the colonists are selfish people who have turned their backs on the needs of the hundreds of millions living in squalor back on Earth. He is, of course, utterly wrong in his actions, yet he’s employing reasoning that makes him so much more than just another ranting psychopath. Pretty sure he’s a sociopath, but he genuinely THINKS he’s in the right.

Malcolm Hulke - that guy was GENIUS! :heart: :brain:

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Colony in Space gets written off via that wonderful yoke of fandom - received wisdom. It’s my eldest’s favourite Pertwee story so go figure.

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Colony in Space is only guilty, in my book, of two things; a) it looks drab and is surrounded on both sides by much more colourful stories, and b) the treatment of the ‘primitives’, whilst not awful, was very ‘of its time’. I’m certain that, had Hulke have been writing today, he would have given a much more nuanced portrayal of this race and their culture (and not called them ‘primitives’).

In all other respects, it’s remarkable smart, socially and environmentally savvy, and deals with some really deep stuff for a show that was often written off as “for the kids”.

That’s something that RTD and Moffat understand very well, to this day. Kids are SMART. We shouldn’t write down for children. We should trust them to use their brains, and those wonderful imaginations. It’s often the adults who struggle to keep up (I think a lot of adults like to switch off brains when watching TV, to get away from having to think all day at work - so I get it. I just couldn’t be like that - something I feel I share with most DW fans on here).

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Thing is that it’s all relative. From 23 years of tech support, I have the experience to say there are a lot of people out there that aren’t particularly smart, too.

Just right now, we’re in a Doctor Who forum, and clever people are likely to be watching Doctor Who, so there are likely to be a bunch of smart people here.

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Yeah, even then being ‘smart’ in the traditional sense (knowing lots of facts) isn’t as important as being curious, flexible and open in your thinking. There are a lot of supposedly Smart™️ people out there who also manage to be mind-numbingly ignorant (I work in health and there are an alarming amount of doctors who I see display this on a daily basis).

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Yep, and bear in mind, I may be “smart”, but when it comes to a level of socializing with people, going to bars and parties, (applying for jobs!), or even really interacting with people in person… yeah, I really don’t know what I’m doing. Online is a different matter.

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Sad, but true. That said, I am of the opinion that we could all be smarter by simply choosing to engage with the world by asking the right questions. Of course, there are limits but being curious is a very very good start.

I couldn’t have put it better myself. Indeed, I genuinely believe that this “openness of thought”, this curiosity about how the universe works and about why we do the rhings we do (or how we choose which path to take) is the most important thing in shaping the people we become and the world we live in. And, yes, I’m aware of the irony that I’m writing this as the US goes to the polls on one of the biggest decisions they’ve ever made. It’s… unsettling how much ignorance could shape our world.

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Ha! Yes, I can relate to this. Small talk, bars, parties. These are my kryptonite. Supermarkets are the bane of my life. I try to understand other people, I really do. Yet, social settings are my undoing. Put me on stage. Put me in front of crowds and let me speak. I can thrive. Put me in that crowd, expect me to chat about nothings in a party, watch me wither and die.

@SweetAIBelle, you are not alone.

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Examples of Utilitarian Calculus in Season 8

Let’s pick up on evidence demonstrating the Doctor’s application of utilitarian principles across season 8. The interesting thing about a consequentialist philosophies, like utilitarianism, is that whilst providing a rational framework for decision-making and potentially being flexible depending on context, utilitarianism relies on a meaningful measurement of abstract terms like ‘happiness’ (which may well differ depending on the individuals concerned - Captain Dent, for example, equates IMC profits as the best measure of happiness), as well as not adequately addressing moral questions of intent. Indeed, intent becomes subservient to consequence (which may lead to morally questionable decisions - as we see with Captain Dent and his Corporate Utilitarianism). Even the Doctor is not immune to such criticisms, especially when weighing up potential consequences (something we might call “utilitarian calculus”). Anyway, let’s take a closer look.

One way that we consistently see the Doctor’s utilitarian focus on outcomes lead to challenging moral quandaries (and we see this across much of the show, not just season 8) is how readily he dismisses and moves on from individual deaths, focussing instead on the greater good of stopping the overarching threat. A fine example of this can be seen in “Colony in Space”. When learning of Ashe’s sacrifice, the Doctor displays momentary sadness (a nicely reflective moment, deftly portrayed by Pertwee), but does not dwell on the man’s death. He basically accepts the sacrifice as necessary. Indeed, it’s difficult to see the Fifteenth Doctor moving on so swiftly from the death of a man he had come to know and respect.

An even more calculating example can be seen in “the Mind of Evil”. Post processing by the Keller machine, it is clear to all that Barnham is extremely vulnerable, compliant and easily led. The Doctor’s attitude towards Barnham is complex and troubling, marked by a shifting perspective that ultimately prioritises the safety of the many over the well-being of this vulnerable individual. As a direct consequence of taking Barnham with him to the final showdown with the Master, Barnham is killed. To quote the Fifth Doctor “There should have been another way!”

We can certainly debate if the Doctor was right in his actions with regard to Barnham, but we must surely all agree that this was a morally questionable decision on the Doctor’s part. Unlike many others (like Ashe) who knew full well what they were doing, Barnham is effectively little more than a child. Whilst Barnham’s death was not certain when they headed off to the hangar, the Doctor would have known that it was a distinct possibility. Indeed, whilst Barnham was immune to the Mind Parasite, he was potentially more vulnerable than anyone to the Master (who, ultimately, kills Barnham without a second thought - as we might expect).

What’s particularly troubling about all this (and there are many aspects that are troubling) is that straightforward application of utilitarian calculus can lead to a greater potential for the justification of harm to minorities. Whilst this is certainly NOT the Doctor’s intent, it is definitely an unfortunate consequence. Barnham, as a man of diminished capabilities (and deeply trusting) is exactly the kind of person that needs protection yet, in “The Mind of Evil”, he is used as a tool to prevent a potentially greater loss of life. Again, it’s difficult to see the Fifteenth Doctor behaving like this - although there IS a troubling parallel with 15’s attitude towards Colonel Chidozie in the time window sequence (“The Legend of Ruby Sunday”). Consider this exchange:

DOCTOR: (To Chidozie) Is there anything there?

KATE: Colonel Chidozie, you will return to your position.

DOCTOR: Just see if there’s anything there.

KATE: Doctor, you said not to move.

DOCTOR: I know! I know. But just… just look.

And we all know the consequences of this insistence on the part of the Doctor. Kate was rightly angry. The big difference, of course, is the deep pain that the Doctor feels over Chidozie’s loss shortly thereafter, requiring Mel to call him out and tell him to “Stop grizzling.”

The Doctor may have grown emotionally, but that recklessness with other people’s lives, that tendency towards utilitarian calculus… it’s still very much a part of him.

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Incidentally, and here’s a very specific question for @sircarolyn and other lovers of “Gallifrey”, it strikes me that utilitarian calculus is not really Leela’s thing (her philosophy is more of a blend between pragmatism and humanism, if I read her right), but that President Romana is consummately proficient at this art. Thoughts?

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