Aside from the issue of slavery, what are the moral implications of Octavian and his 'experimental' upbringing? Have his educators/owners crossed the line of moral conduct? Where would you draw the line between moral and immoral research in this context?
Octavian's experimental upbringing was wildly inhumane and based on a disturbing prejudice. To me it seemed he was being tortured and toyed with emotionally by even Mr. Gitney, who at many points expressed his deep care for Octavian. Octavian was in love with the learning, literature, and music that Gitney provided him until he learned his true purpose as a lab rat. Once Mr. Sharpe entered the picture, Mr. Gitney changed his love towards Octavian, and moved onto a desperate attempt to keep his college afloat; the experiment then became warped and more sadistic than it began and sought to prove how inferior Africans are, as opposed to investigating their potential abilities. I don’t think that there is a moral line to draw regarding this “research” because it is completely one sided. Completely excluding the issue of slavery in this book, the whole experiment is abhorrent.
ReplyDeleteWell spoken. I must agree. This kind of racially motivated garbage science has no place in a civilized society.
DeleteI believe they did not have any moral respect towards Octavian. He was treated more like a rat, or a dog. More of a dog because I felt as if they only played with him to see each out come and get an answer to a test. Or they would only pet him to see how he reacted. It is not nice at all to play with a human being. On the contrary it was all immortal.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning Octavian was an experiment from what he ate to how he reacted to the death of animals. He had to observe many horrific sights and then express what he thought and felt. He was not treated as if he was even human. Yes the 'Scientist' did care for him but only as they would for any object that they had for a long time that they had been studying. I feel they were very immoral in the treatment and upbringing of Octavian.
ReplyDeleteThe experiments outlined in Octavian Nothing is an example Scientific racism which is of course the use of scientific and pseudo-scientific techniques and hypotheses to support or justify the belief in racial inferiority. According to the United Nations convention, superiority based on racial differentiation is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous, and there is no justification for racial discrimination, in theory or in practice, anywhere. Thus it is my belief that the experiments do of course cross a moral boundary. I think any experiments designed to prove racial inferiority are morally bankrupt at the onset.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny because I can't say that all the characters did not have moral respect for Octavian because I feel that Gitney and the doctor did. It is a form of scientific racism, although because he was participating in the experiences, he was not made to do actual slave chores until there was a new funder who believed differently. When they were treating Octavian different then the others, that left the other slaves feeling ill towards Octavian. I do think that Mr. Sharpe crossed the line of moral conduct. I don't think that Gitney would have but it came to a point that he had to choose, and keeping his school together was more important to him.
ReplyDeleteImmoral... In the treatment of Octavian... Material learned and recorded... Irreplaceable ... Thin line between progress by knowledge and moral treatment of the subject studied... Not saying either is correct ... Just factual it happens
ReplyDeleteI do feel his educators/owners crossed a moral line with the upbringing of Octavian. Octavian was not allowed to give proper consent on the researched preformed on him, because he was not given the facts of why it was being done. To morally research someone has to benefit the one being researched and not skew or have an effect on them. Immoral research will cross any lines, boundaries, and will skew the view of the one being researched in order to complete the observation.
ReplyDeleteI consider the whole process with Octavian as immoral, because they literally control every aspect of his life. I think Mr. Gitney and Mr. Sharpe crossed the line. The fact that his mother didn’t let him know what was going on was disturbing, because a mother shouldn’t let their child to be live in a complete lie. I believe using Octavian as a guinea pig and disciplining him in the ways that they did was incorrect. Making him emotionless and more of an observer was completely wrong. Even Mr. Gitney failed the emotionless part when Octavian’s mother passed away, so how could he ask a child to perceive everything through observation rather than with emotion? That is hypocritical.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think they crossed the line of moral conduct because Octavian's entire life and upbringing was based on a lie. There was never any intention of allowing Octavian to grow into a successful person. He was raised without any emotional support or any freedom to think for himself and act like a kid. It is immoral because Octavian had given no consent, he had no choice, he was lied to in order to be a part of the research and that is not only immoral but in today's society it is illegal. There is an Accountability Review Board that oversees all government approved research.
ReplyDeleteThe moral implications of Octavian's upbringing were immoral and disturbing to me. Many of the experiments seemed inhumane. I wondered at the purpose for many of the things they were doing to him. Although I do believe Octavian truly enjoyed music and literature until he realized why he was being schooled in such areas.
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