V for Vendetta - Philosophical Break Down

Sawraj Sharma

Phil 4 – Critical Thinking and Writing

V for Vendetta Essay

V for Vendetta hits on some major philosophical subjects. The film is based in a future dystopian society that is heavily censored and regulated by the government. It hits on some famous subjects like Immanuel Kant’s views on enlightenment that “man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity” and how that compares to the change in the people of London. Kant’s private and public use of reason talks about the limitations people have within their societies. This view translates very well in how Inspector Eric Finch was struggling with the job he needed to do and how to act upon what “he was feeling.” Lastly Marcuse claims that we tend to keep ourselves ignorant and uneducated so that we could be easily controlled is seen when the people of London roll over and allow the government to feed them lies and propaganda throughout the film.

        Kant’s definition of enlightenment can be shrunk down to “man’s release from his self-incurred tutelage.” He argues that it’s not just the overarching powers that put people into a controlled state but rather it’s the people’s choice to be controlled by being complacent. It’s seen in the events of V for Vendetta that after the fear mongering and propaganda from the Norsefire political party post Three Water’s contamination.

Rather than a single character’s transformation into enlightenment I would argue it’s far more important to the film and to more of V’s reason to start this chain of events for the transformation of the countrymen to become more enlightened. Right at the beginning of the film V’s speech to the country was a call to be enlightened. He accused his countrymen for allowing the government to become the way it is.  “And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense.” 

V doesn’t blame London for being complacent as even he admits he enjoys the comforts of a daily ritual. “Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine- the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke” But knowing that doesn’t mean he can allow what is happening go unnoticed.

Throughout the film he is provoking the citizens to begin to think for themselves rather than fall into the lies the government is spreading on the daily.  He does this by sending Guy Fawkes masks to man of the citizens. Giving them a call to action in the speech he gave on November the 5th the previous year. “So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament, and together we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgot.” The citizens of London begin to wear the masks to show their support to V and his movement towards enlightenment. You see people spraying graffiti, robbing stores, and even fighting back against the notorious “Fingermen” – Norsefire’s secret police. The ending scene of the film wraps up how the people have been enlightened as countless number of people show up to support the demolition of the Parliament building. As the military are there waiting for orders, the people keep walking without hesitating.

Inspector Eric Finch would fit perfectly Kant’s Private and Public use of reason. Kant’s private and public use of reason is defined as that public reason is reason that “anyone as a scholar” makes before the “literate world.” Private reason, he argues, is the use of reason that a person may make “in a civic post or office” that is entrusted to him.

Kan doesn’t use the terms “public” and “private” in a way that would be typically defined today. Instead the terms help explain the limitations one has of free speech when they are in a position of authority. Especially political or religious authority who may not be entitled to voice their own unorthodox opinions in the course of leading official business.

Kant uses this language to define “public” and “private.” "By the public use of one’s reason I understand the use which a person makes of it as a scholar before the reading public. Private use I call that which one may make of it in a particular civil post or office which is entrusted to him." He uses the term public meaning the arena in which the individuals are able to freely express their own views when they aren’t limited by their official duties. By contrast he is using private is the place in which the individual person is restricted from expressing his or her view and thus required to carry their established duties or jobs. The terminology can be confusing as we would reverse the meanings of public and private from the way Kant uses them.

Inspector Finch would fit Kant’s definition very well while watching his character progress throughout the film. Observing Finch in the first scene of the government heads, hand, finger, eye, ear, nose, and mouth, you can get a feeling that Finch already has a wariness for the government in power. His demeanor isn’t the same as the other party officials and he seems more interested in who V is rather than covering up what is going on.

As the film moves on Finch uncovers some truth about Lorkhill and what happened before the election and “take over” of the chancellor and Norsefire. After finding Delia Surridge dead in her bedroom he discovers her diary entries of Lorkhill. About how possibly rather than radical religious groups causing the death of over 100,000 citizens using a biological weapon it was possibly caused by their very own government. When shown to the Chancellor he is immediately told that talking about, thinking, or even mentioning the diaries existence regardless of what was written could be true or not would be an act of treason. This causes Finch to look further into what was going on and even at one point asked his assistant Dominic Stone that would he even consider wanting to ask the question that his government was responsible for the deaths during the biological plague.