I found a Death Note

[Xivii]

So yeah I just got off of spring break and returned to my dorm this past Monday. When I was about to go to sleep that night, I noticed something under my pillow: low and behold, a Death Note. Not even kidding. I live alone and there's not many people with access to my room so I'm quite sure it was meant for me.

For those of you that do now know what this is: http://writingdeathnotes.blogspot.com/2008/12/death-note-rules.html

So of course at first I thought it was a joke, but that didn't stop me from trying it out...I'd rather not give the details for legal reasons, but it works... So my question is should I continue to use it from here? I was thinking of using it only on people who have murdered. But I'm not quite sure if it's the right thing to do. I want to make the world a better place. A more peaceful place, but I don't know if doing so this way is morally OK. Obviously this has been given to me by a higher power, but does that make it OK? Just because a divine being says it is ok, does that make it OK? And if you do think it is good to use it, should I go beyond just getting rid of murders? Child molesters, Racists, Gangbangers, Terrorists? I'd really appreciate any input. Thanks.

 

[Holder of the Heel]

Hold on to it. Within 39 days a shinigami should likely appear. If it is Ryuk, you can have an invisible, flying, Mario Golf-playing pet. You just have to keep him entertained and have a constant supply of apples at hand.

 

[Battlecow]

Written in every law and precept and code dating back to the very first is the immutable rule that holds society together: Don't kill.

Like every other rule it's broken as often as it's followed

still

you'd have to be insane to sit in judgment like that. That was the whole point.

 

[Sucumbio]

I don't know why but I just couldn't get into Death Note, it seemed to me way overrated as an anime. The idea was pretty cool though.

 

[Holder of the Heel]

I don't know why but I just couldn't get into Death Note, it seemed to me way overrated as an anime. The idea was pretty cool though.

It's okay. Just know that your opinion is wrong.

Anyhoo, I see Death Note as a modern version of the "Ring of Gyges" story told to Socrates by Glaucon in Plato's Republic in order to try and suggest that being "unjust" is our "true" nature. We have a normal, honest individual (in the case of Death Note, we have a tragically promising protagonist) who receives a supernatural, mysterious item that allows them to avoid playing by the rules that can let them to do what they want thereby implanting new ideas into their ego that were never there (i.e. becoming a God) and allowing them to consider things in their mind that they never seriously were able to entertain before (i.e. fixing the "rotten" world).

Thus we have a character who makes a development that changes who they are, but not in the sense of entirely being a different person, but as if to show a person's "true colors", their ego unbound. In the end Near points out how Light Yagami bent to the influence of the Death Note and was confusing himself with a God, suggesting that Gyges element, suggesting that the Death Note allowed for Light to have the idealism and narcissism typical of a God (God complex) by simply allow Light's ego to be in a position in which he could extend his will upon others. Further even suggesting this element, when we see Light lose the memories of the Death Note he actually wants to stop Kira, who he just was because the Death Note is what allowed for that transformation to be rationalized. He even knew before losing the memories that he would be like that because he was planning on it.

The Death Note itself was interesting but what concept it embodied was just as interesting if not even more interesting to me. As for my serious suggestions to someone who would have an actual Death Note in regards to writing in it, I suppose holding onto it in the case of anyone obviously about to cause a lot of death. Killing isn't advisable of course, but I wouldn't lift my nose up at someone who just wrote down the name of a person who was about to, for example, bomb a group of people, for in the end, if I were to be asked if I preferred if that bomber had died or all the victims from the bomb, I'd choose the bomber every time. But trying to use the Death Note in a similar fashion as Light? While that is interesting for a manga setting, I wouldn't suggest it for someone in real life and I wouldn't desire such a society. In the distant future there will be much, much better ways to go about dealing with such things with the inevitable advances in science we are going to make. While what we currently have isn't as frightening as a Kira but the principle of Kira is that it's evil but that's why it is scary and it's supposed to be the only way to make significant progress. Consequentialist, "necessary-evil" logic. But in the future we won't need something so drastic (not to mention bound to make mistakes just as our current system often does (but not nearly as irreparable because it isn't usually capital punishment)). As a result, it'd seem like a faulty, harsh, and ultimately not necessary evil.

 

[Sucumbio]

Well like I said the idea is quite fascinating, and I didn't realize it had roots in ancient greece... just that the anime was boring, lol. Maybe it's one of those anime's you have to watch the first few episodes before you get hooked, or something, but I couldn't even finish the first episode before I lost interest and moved on to the pantless beauties in Strike Witches

 

[XDaDePsak]

Does this stuff seriously pass for Debate Hall material these days?

 

[Holder of the Heel]

Well like I said the idea is quite fascinating, and I didn't realize it had roots in ancient greece... just that the anime was boring, lol. Maybe it's one of those anime's you have to watch the first few episodes before you get hooked, or something, but I couldn't even finish the first episode before I lost interest and moved on to the pantless beauties in Strike Witches

Ha I was just messing with you. Also I don't really think it was inspired by that story, I was just drawing a comparison because they had similar concepts. But yeah, not really much fan service in Death Note. And it is rather dialogue heavy, so it might be painful or dull for some.

 

[Sucumbio]

Does this stuff seriously pass for Debate Hall material these days?

ikr? I hemmed and hawed about even posting but Zen is awesome in his own right so I just HAD to post in his death note thread, even though this topic has been done at least once before if not a few times (though I think it was in the PGs so its all good).

OT: wait what are we debating again? Oh, whether or not he should use it or lose it.

USE IT!

But seriously, I think sitting back and deciding who should live and die is categorically wrong. I also think that the death note itself is a cheap way to look at the morality of killing. I mean, really, you don't need some fancy magical tool to decide who lives and dies. If it wasn't so "easy" to just pen someone's name - ergo if you have to bludgeon them with a spoon - would one feel so cavalier about taking life?

And just for the sake of argument, necessarily stopping one person from killing a whole bunch is in itself a quandary, especially if it turns out the people that you saved were all murderers and rapists. I believe it's best to live and let live, leave well enough alone, and yada yada. If you really want the "authority" to kill and for "a good cause" join the Army or something, there's plenty of people to shoot in America's various wars and if you make it out of boot camp you're sure to be brainwashed enough to believe what you're doing is "right."

 

[WindMajor]

Well like I said the idea is quite fascinating, and I didn't realize it had roots in ancient greece... just that the anime was boring, lol. Maybe it's one of those anime's you have to watch the first few episodes before you get hooked, or something, but I couldn't even finish the first episode before I lost interest and moved on to the pantless beauties in Strike Witches

To get hooked you just have to make it to the end of episode 2.

 

[Sucumbio]

Ha... well there you have it. I shall have to give it another shot!

 

[Kal]

..........

 

[Vinylic.]

Is this.......is this real?

 

[Xivii]

wait yal are seriously telling me they made an Anime out of this ****?

 

[Xivii]

Written in every law and precept and code dating back to the very first is the immutable rule that holds society together: Don't kill.

Like every other rule it's broken as often as it's followed

still

you'd have to be insane to sit in judgment like that. That was the whole point.

You're right that not killing is what holds society together. That's why I want to get rid of the murders. Don't you think that would improve society. I'm pretty sure if people knew there was someone out there judging them, murder crimes would fall dramatically. I want to do this for the betterment of society dude. I don't want to just jump in though.

Does this stuff seriously pass for Debate Hall material these days?

Go back to your grave, old man.

As for the topic question: I don't believe in the death penalty, so I would obviously say you shouldn't be using the Death Note. Though, if you used it to kill off Andrew Lloyd Webber, I wouldn't complain.

You state that you don't believe in the death penalty but then state indifference to it. It's one or the other mate. It seems that everyone, even those who claim not to believe in the death penalty, secretly agree with the elimination of evil people on our planet.
Note: I just found out that since I have used the note, I can neither go to heaven nor hell. So seeing as I'm pretty much already locked into my fate, I don't think the question of morality is much an issue here anymore. Now it's just about how I should go about this.
@Vinyl. You're looking at it aren't you?

 

[Kal]

..........

 

[Xivii]

Don't joke with me . What if I actually did? You would have taken part in the killing of an innocent. I'm still not sure if you really even are against the death penalty.

 

[Kal]

..........

 

[XDaDePsak]

Go back to your grave, old man

I created the Debate Hall. This is my grave -- I'm haunting it.

 

[Sucumbio]

he's got ya there, haha

Anyway, yeah, Death Note was written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata and later was released as an anime series by Madhouse, which actually aired on Adult Swim for a while (though I missed it on that, watched it on Netflix). On the right hand side of the page you linked is a list of the episodes actually. That's how popular the anime/manga is, people actually make death notes and fan sites based on its premise.

@Kal, ha! I loved the Wicked books, but when I heard it was turned into a musical a little piece of died. Now that I've heard a track from its production, I think I am promoted to full dead. Boo!

 

[Kal]

..........

 

[Muhti]

I thought there'd be a serious debate such as stricter laws or some religious thing, but instead....

This.

 

[Sucumbio]

well why don't you cry about it, saddle bags!!

j/k

srsly tho, if you want a serious discussion you can initiate one.

I'm fresh out of ideas on the whole death note topic, cause it's been done to death note.

 

[Xivii]

Anyway, yeah, Death Note was written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata and later was released as an anime series by Madhouse, which actually aired on Adult Swim for a while (though I missed it on that, watched it on Netflix). On the right hand side of the page you linked is a list of the episodes actually. That's how popular the anime/manga is, people actually make death notes and fan sites based on its premise.

I know I'm just pullin your leg. You really should give it another shot though. My opinion is generally accurate a hundred percent of the time. Death Note is the best dam anime there is.

 

[FirestormNeos]

1) Buy a Nokia phone
2) Nickname it "Dave the Nokia"
3) Write that name down in the death note
4) If it works, you just divided by zero. If not, you now a Nokia Phone and a Notebook.

 

[FirestormNeos]

wait y iz dis in teh debat hal agan?

 

[Booster]

My Ridley is Too Big debate got closed and not this? Mods, go home you're drunk.

Anyways, I personally wouldn't worry about it if this actually happened.

 

[Praxis]

Buy a pet mouse. Write the mouse's name in the Death Note. See if it works.

If it does, have Bill Gates' pet cat bring you his wallet or something before getting hit by a car.

 

[Xivii]

My Ridley is Too Big debate got closed and not this? Mods, go home you're drunk.

Anyways, I personally wouldn't worry about it if this actually happened.

This thread provided the framework for a debate (or at least attempted to). It also presented a question regarding the morality and justice of murder and vigilantism. The flavor of the OP being of an anime was irrelevant to the actual issue being debated. It was merely a theme overlaying the fundamental questions being asked.

As for your Ridley thread; Not only did you fail to provide any context to what you wished to be debated, the topic was not something relevant to the debate hall:

This is not the General Brawl Forums

You've asked the moderators to PM you if they have an issue- as opposed to addressing you publicly. It seems fair that you would show them the same respect.


<3

 

[Claire Diviner]

Okay, fine, I'll bite.

Just to get it out of the way, I'm nowhere near into anime as I was when I was a teen, but I recently saw Death Note (last year), and now I watch that at least once every 6 or so months; I think it's THAT good. Just my opinion.

As for the debate: I say that on a personal level, I would use it as much as I can. Light Yagami had the right idea in the beginning when he wanted to kill the unjust and the evil that befouled the world. There are many hate groups that promote things, like racism, anti-LGBT, woman hate, etc., that I would target in the hopes that it can lessen and eventually rid the world of most of those issues, if not all of them. Then there are the really heinous people, like cold-blooded murderers, rapists, child molesters, etc., who I'd also whack. I'll even go the extra mile and slash my lifespan in half for the shinigami eyes, so that people who I know are heinous individuals, but whose names are unknown to me, will no longer be anonymous to me.

Basically, my use of the Death Note will not be much different than Light's, and maybe that's why I liked the series to begin with, because I found him personally relateable (can't say I share his cunning and forethought, however). Everyone has their own definition and levels of morality, and while my reasons for using a Death Note can be seen as morally justified and even heroic, others will see it as an unjustifiable murder of people who may or may not deserve death. So in the end, the issue's very subjective.