Doctor Who and Philosophy

by Courtland Lewis

  The Doctor seems almost immune to such a burnout, but there’s evidence it possibly exists somewhere inside of him. In one episode, we see the Ninth Doctor get both scared and angry, and he tries to exterminate what he believes to be the last Dalek: I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to end it. The Daleks destroyed my home, my people. I’ve got nothing left. (“Dalek,” 2005)

  The Doctor is upset because his home, his people, those to whom he was most connected, are gone, and for him it’s a moment of weakness in which he wants simple revenge rather than to care about his enemy, as he has in other circumstances. In this case it’s his companion Rose who stands in the way and tries to prevent him from exterminating the Dalek, while quite possibly at the same time becoming even more like the Dalek. Certainly we could see this as an example of caring burnout. The Doctor has cared so much for so many people, but it takes extraordinary circumstances—the extermination of all of his people—to even see a chink in his armor.

  A further suggestion is that if this sacrifice occurs in a reciprocal relationship, it can actually make us stronger. Of course, we can easily see this happening on the show. The Doctor will care for one of his companions, but at some point they’ll have to care for him as well. Through this relationship, a trust or bond builds and they’re able to face bigger and badder villains knowing they’ll be there to care for one another if needed. Although we don’t all face down monstrous enemies across time on a day-to-day basis, we can relate to a similar sort of caring for bond that seems to develop between people.

  The Fury of the Time Lord

  BAINES: He never raised his voice. That was the worst thing. The fury of the Time Lord. And then we discovered why. Why this Doctor, who had fought with gods and demons, why he’d run away from us and hidden—he was being kind.

  —(“The Family of Blood,” 2007)

  Although the Doctor can certainly bring forth his fury in battle, he always tempers this fury with compassion. The Family of Blood learned that the Doctor ran from them not out of fear, but out of kindness. He was going to let them die off and attempted to hide in human form so they couldn’t track him down in their last days. Unfortunately they found him anyway, and in his fury he did punish them, but he did so by imprisoning them in chains, an event horizon, mirrors, and a scarecrow.

  We repeatedly witness the Doctor trying to help his most bitter enemies:Dalek Caan. Your entire species has been wiped out. And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated. Leaving only you. Right now you’re facing the only man in the universe who might show you some compassion. ’Cause I’ve just seen one genocide. I won’t cause another. Caan, ... let me help you. What do you say? (The Tenth Doctor in “Evolution of the Daleks,” 2007)

  The Doctor offers compassion to the last of the species with which the Time Lords were at war. He responds in a similar way to the Master, who has just spent a year using the Toclafanes to destroy Earth:DOCTOR: And you know what happens now.

  MASTER: No! No! (grovels) No! No!

  DOCTOR: You wouldn’t listen.

  MASTER: No!

  DOCTOR: Because you know what I’m going to say.

  MASTER: No! (curls into fetal position. The Doctor lands, walks over to the whimpering Master and wraps his arms about him.)

  DOCTOR: I forgive you. (“Last of the Time Lords,” 2007)

  The show had been building up to this one thing the Doctor had to say, and it really seemed as if we were about to witness the ultimate demonstration of the fury of the Time Lord, but instead, the Doctor is compassionate and empathetic! No one else agrees; they all want to execute the Master so that he can never do something like this again. In the end, the Master’s human wife, Lucy, does shoot him before anyone can stop her.

  To try to understand what the Doctor’s motivation may be, we can draw upon a distinction between natural caring and ethical caring made by Nel Noddings in Caring. Natural caring is something we can all understand—it’s when we can easily care for another. Our relationships with others cause us to care for them. It’s not all that difficult to care about our child or spouse; in fact, it may be hard not to care about those to whom we are close. This is natural caring. We can understand why the Doctor goes out of his way to save Rose or Martha, but it’s much more difficult for us to understand his forgiving the Master or reaching out to Dalek Caan. In doing this, the Doctor is exhibiting an ethical caring. Ethical caring occurs in the absence of natural caring. One has to think back to a time when they were able to be an ideal care-giver and try to apply that same standard in the new situation. Even if the Doctor doesn’t naturally care for Dalek Caan, he can sympathize with him and attempt to understand what he’s been through and how he’s gotten to this particular point in life. It’s this sympathy which helps bring out the ability for ethical caring.

  Toward Caring

  DOCTOR: You’re my responsibility from now on. The only Time Lord left in existence.

  JACK: Yeah, but you can’t trust him.

  DOCTOR: No. The only safe place for him is the TARDIS.

  MASTER: You mean you’re just gonna ... keep me?

  DOCTOR: Hmm. If that’s what I have to do. (Looks to Jack) It’s time to change. Maybe I’ve been wandering for too long. Now I’ll have someone to care for.

  —(“Last of the Time Lords,” 2007)

  Although the Doctor himself may not think of his own actions that way, he’s actually caring for all of humanity—among other species—in his time travels. Yet, the fact that he’s willing to care for the Master, even after the Master has destroyed most of the Earth and used a sonic screwdriver to make the Doctor very old, is quite telling. The others, from Lucy to Jack to Martha Jones and her family, all seem to believe that the Master needs to be killed because he can’t be trusted. The Doctor alone is able to view this situation from a different perspective. Perhaps he’s benefiting from the synergy of two meshing methods of ethics, or perhaps he’s simply displaying a blatant example of the ethics of care. It can’t be as simple as the Doctor’s being opposed to killing an evil creature, as we’ve seen him do just that time and time again. A great deal of concern for the Doctor lies in the fact that the Master is the only other living Time Lord. This relationship between the Doctor and the Master defines the way the Doctor sees the appropriate moral reaction. Quite possibly if the relationship were different, the Doctor’s reaction and punishment would be different—which is entirely characteristic of an ethics of care rather than an ethics of justice.

  Yet, I felt a strong sense of relief when Lucy finally shot the Master. If he were alive, I was imagining it’d only be a matter of time until he was able to cook up another scheme or escape from the Doctor despite the Doctor’s best efforts. In that sense, I feel as if a strong counter argument could be made that killing the Master really was the best course of action. Of course, since the Master is also a Time Lord and can regenerate, this likely isn’t the last of him.

  This system of an ethics of care is fairly new in the philosophic world, but the explanatory power it offers is quite telling. As one can tell by looking at it through the lens of a moral exemplar such as the Doctor, it offers an explanation for why we both act and believe we should act in certain ways which traditional ethics of justice would have difficulty explaining. Very often the Doctor might not take the course of action that offers the greatest good for the greatest number, but an ethics of care can explain to us how we can still hold up these actions as morally praiseworthy from a different perspective. What’s really interesting about an ethics of care is that it gives us a chance to reflect on a different way of thinking about moral issues. At the very least, it helps explain a certain intuitive notion that would explain why we think the Doctor should save a companion instead of a complete stranger. The Doctor’s adventures through time and space give us examples of how these ethics might be applied in a wide variety of zany circumstances!

  15

  Why the Doctor and Rose Tyler Kant Be Together

  DONNA MARIE SMITH

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bsp; Time travel. Wondrous worlds. Menacing monsters. Amazing adventures. For over four decades Doctor Who has captured the imaginations of viewers of all ages. This unique television show introduced us to fantastical technology like the TARDIS and the sonic screwdriver, dangerous enemies like the Daleks and the Cybermen, endearing companions like Sarah Jane Smith and Rose Tyler, and, of course, the mysterious Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey known as the Doctor.

  Yet, Doctor Who also offers insights into how we—the Doctor’s beloved humans—can learn to lead ethical lives. Throughout the new episodes of Doctor Who, as produced by Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, and Phil Collinson, we find out how the concepts of love, individual sacrifice, and the social good play a role in helping the Doctor and his companions to be good people.

  As the last of the Time Lords, the Doctor feels it’s his duty to protect innocent beings from the Evil present in the universe. He believes that the welfare of society, both human and alien, transcends any personal attachments and desires. Time and again, the Doctor faces dangerous situations, many of which involve the invasion or destruction of the Earth by nefarious aliens like the Slitheen or the Sontaran. Yet, most of his adventures are straightforward thwart-the-bad-guys scenarios. On occasion, though, the Doctor has to make difficult personal sacrifices when trying to resolve these grave conflicts. In “Doomsday” (2006), he faces a most heart-breaking moral dilemma when he must choose between being with his beloved companion Rose Tyler and his moral duty to save the people of Earth from being “exterminated” by the Daleks and “deleted” by the Cybermen.

  Groundwork of a Time Lord’s Morals

  To understand from a philosophical viewpoint why the Doctor and Rose ultimately can’t be together, let’s take a more in-depth look at the Doctor’s worldview and moral character. As fans of the show, we know that he’s a Time Lord, one of the “ancient and powerful race of beings from the planet Gallifrey who tended to observe events in the universe rather than become involved, teaching in their Academy the importance of calm detachment.”70 Of course, this was before they became embroiled in the Last Great Time War with the Daleks. Since our Doctor participated in that war, his view of the world was shaped not only by the ancient teachings of the Time Lords but also by the epic conflict with the Dalek race. No longer could he and the other Time Lords practice “calm detachment,” a virtue held by Buddhist practitioners here on Earth. In fact, the Doctor was at the forefront of the final battle that led to the destruction of both his and the Dalek races. Lifelong participation in war and a narrowly focused objective—to defeat the enemy—most likely skewed the moral philosophy of the Time Lords. Anger, grief, remorse, and hatred veiled their ancient societal values.

  Perhaps having spent many years observing human nature and sharing human companionship, the Doctor’s worldview may have been tempered by the general good nature of the people of Earth. Being an extremely intelligent and curious person, the Doctor might even have sought out the counsel of Earth’s great thinkers, such as the ancient Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.71 These esteemed philosophers formed the foundation of Western philosophy, teaching and writing about the values and actions that make a person good. Certain virtues, they believed, are characteristics of a good person, or in other words, a person with a good will. Plato (429-347 B.C.E.) developed and wrote about the ideas of his mentor, Socrates (469-399 B.C.E.). In his influential work The Republic, he discussed the four virtues one should strive to attain, namely, wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice. Aristotle also wrote about ethical philosophy, highlighting the significance of a virtuous life as a means of attaining happiness. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle explained that “virtuous acts require conscious choice and moral purpose or motivation, and that man has personal moral responsibility for his actions.”72

  David Tennant’s Doctor possesses exceptional wisdom and a strong sense of justice. Time and again, he displays courage when faced with moral or physical conflicts, like when he saved Madame de Pompadour from the Clockwork Robots in “The Girl in the Fireplace” (2006), or when he confronted the ancient demon in “The Satan Pit” (2006). Yet, the Doctor still acts unrestrained at times. He’s had to learn how to control his rage at the loss of his home world, for example, and not to get mired down in self-pity in the face of unbearable loneliness. The time spent with his companion, Rose, helped him to develop a more compassionate—and temperate—moral center. “You made me better,” he explains to Rose in “Journey’s End” (2008).

  A Rose by Any Other Name Would Still Be Virtuous

  The Doctor has had many companions during his years of wandering the universe, but he has a particular affection for the inhabitants of Earth. He has fond memories of his human companions, but the blonde shop girl he meets in early twenty-first century London—Rose Tyler—is arguably someone whom he deeply loved. Because of the moral dilemma between his duty to save the world and his desire to be with Rose, his choice to leave her leads to unfathomable heartbreak—even more so because he has two hearts!

  Rose, too, faces the choice between saving humanity and being with the man she loves. When the spirited and carefree Londoner first encounters the Time Lord, she believed, like any other young human, that she has all the time in the world. She would travel through space and time, experiencing grand adventures, seeing marvelous sights, and braving grave dangers. She’d be with the man she loved. She’d be with the Doctor forever. Or so she thought.

  After her first year of traveling with the Doctor, Rose has matured into an adult. She learns from being with him how to be a virtuous and responsible person, particularly when faced with hard decisions. In “Parting of the Ways” (2005), Rose tells her mom Jackie Tyler and her friend Mickey Smith that, even though the Doctor sent her back home to protect her from the Daleks, she must return to the future to try to help him. Rose explains why she made this choice:The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life. You don’t just give up. You don’t just let things happen. You make a stand. You say no. You have the guts to do what’s right when everyone runs away.

  In deciding to help the Ninth Doctor save the humanity of the future, she chooses duty over personal safety. When she absorbs the Time Vortex and ultimately destroys the Daleks and their Emperor, she sacrifices her life to save the Doctor and humankind. Fortunately, the Doctor saves her by kissing her and ingesting the Time Vortex into himself, thereby forfeiting his own life for Rose and the good of human society. With this episode, we see a foreshadowing of the courageous young woman who chooses the selfless, moral path when, during her adventures with the Tenth Doctor, the Daleks once again threaten to eradicate humanity during the Battle of Canary Wharf in the haunting two-part episode “Army of Ghosts” and “Doomsday” (2006).

  By the time we meet up with Rose and the Doctor on present-day Earth, Rose has learned a great deal about what it means to be a good person. Her travels through time and space have given her the opportunity to encounter new people and ideas. She’s also worked through ethical problems and moral dilemmas during her adventurous experiences with the Time Lord. When the Daleks and the Cybermen invade Earth “via the Void”—the nothingness between time and space dimensions—Rose bravely stands up to these deadly foes. She’s savvy and courageous when confronting the Daleks who want to exterminate humanity and keep the Earth for themselves. Her relationship with the Doctor is what helps her to achieve this moral strength.

  Love in the Time of Daleks

  A deeper look into the Doctor and Rose’s relationship and their love for one another will reveal why they can’t ultimately be together and have a fairy-tale ending for their story. Throughout his long life, the Doctor grappled with the idea of loving a human companion, knowing that a human has a much, much shorter lifespan. In “School Reunion” (2006), the Doctor explains to Rose why he couldn’t stay with his former companion Sarah Jane Smith, as well as why it was now difficult for him to love Rose. “You can spend the rest of your life with me,” he tells her, “b
ut I can’t spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That’s the curse of the Time Lords.” Despite this, the Doctor wants Rose to stay with him, and they continue their journey together.

  The Doctor learned from his travels throughout the universe that love comes in many forms. The ancient Greeks divided love into three different forms: eros (romantic love), philia (friendship), and agape (love of beauty or of God). Unlike his relationships with former and future companions like Sarah Jane Smith, Martha Jones, and Donna Noble which can be classified as philia, the Doctor forges both a special fondness, or philia, with Rose and a deep romantic attachment to and desire for her, what the Greeks would describe as eros.

  Yet, before the Doctor realizes how much Rose means to him, he falls in love (experiences eros) with another human female, as we see in the Hugo Award-winning episode “The Girl in the Fireplace.” During a trip to the fifty-first century, the Doctor, Rose, and Mickey encounter a time window on a space ship. This window leads to eighteenth-century France and to a captivating woman named Reinette, or as history knows her, Madame de Pompadour. The Doctor has to protect Reinette from the Clockwork Robots—the ship’s repair androids—and in doing so, becomes enamored of her. In the course of trying to save her and the people of the court of Versailles, the Doctor breaks through another time window on the space ship, even though he knows that he’ll no longer have a way back to the ship. He’s therefore stranded in Reinette’s time. His love for Reinette and his subsequent actions are what medieval philosophers would call chivalrous love (or agape, love of beauty and purity). Like a knight saving a damsel in distress, the Doctor chooses to save his lady by charging on a white horse through the one remaining time window. Thus, the Doctor acts out of duty despite closing off the only way back to his time period.