The Doctor as Philosopher: The Collectivist-Realist Pacificism of the Doctor and the Quest for Social Justice

Abstract

Doctor Who is the longest-running science fiction series in history. Its protagonist, the Doctor, is a time-traveling alien in a ship called the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension(s) in Space). The Doctor protects the planet Earth and its human inhabitants from alien threats but also responds to the needs of other beings elsewhere in the universe. Frequently these altercations with alien threats require force, sometimes even lethal force; yet the Doctor is a pacifist. This chapter explores in what sense the Doctor can be considered a pacifist and what sort of pacifist the Doctor is. It is argued that the Doctor is a collectivist-realist pacifist, which is a modification of Duane Cady’s notion of a collectivist pacifist, who accepts that lethal force is sometimes morally justifiable while also being opposed to war. But that collectivist pacifism must be augmented by Martin Luther King, Jr.’s realist pacifism, where ethical appeals are “ungirded by some constructive coercive power.” It is not enough to simply have a moral opposition to war; there must be a pursuit of justice because the issues of peace and justice are inextricably linked. In order to achieve social justice, coercion is often required because rational attempts at persuasion frequently do not work; thus, interference in unjust situations is morally required, and sometimes that interference justifiably entails lethal force, but only when it is necessary. This is what the Doctor does and the show suggests we ought to be more like the Doctor in our commitments to peace and justice.

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