If Lex thought his ends justified any means, then he would have manipulated Moira in the most efficient way - by bringing in Chloe and putting a gun to her head. She already hated him; what did he have to lose? Word. No, it's Moira for whom the end justifies the means. Ordering the mutant to kill him. Ordering Chloe to help her, to hurt Lex, to run away against her will...
Human test subjects are a part of much medical and psychological research. The most important ethical concern is that such subjects are informed volunteers, and not all of Lex's subjects are...maybe. 33.1 is holding a lot of mutants, but whether it experiments on all of them, willingly or unwillingly, isn't clear. Again, word. It seems like some of them are not voluntary, though, and that's pretty problematic, but I think this is part of Lex's dilemma. I think that he demonstrates here (and in Cyborg) that he does ask them nicely. It seems to me that some of them have to be voluntary, however, unless everyone has read the comics. And even then, you have to take self-interest into account. Who would want to rot in a place like Belle Reve? I'd rather take the chance to get better. It won't happen in that hole of a mental institution.
You're right about the dangers. Lex does need someone to help him stay on course, and he is mentally unbalanced. We know this. And I think having to do these things is just making him worse. This isn't the path that he wanted, but no one else is stepping up to take care of it as far as he knows (The Queen's Men just blowing his shit up and making it harder for him to accomplish his necessary goals), so he feels driven down that path. It seems to be the second path that you mention, giving in to his higher calling, which will eventually mean destroying Clark by whatever means necessary, though it hurts him and makes him miserable to do so. It's something he fervently believes that he has to do, and is justified in doing (read Lex Luthor: Man of Steel).
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winterfish
Part II. Sorry!
Date: 2007-04-21 07:36 pm (UTC)Word. No, it's Moira for whom the end justifies the means. Ordering the mutant to kill him. Ordering Chloe to help her, to hurt Lex, to run away against her will...
Human test subjects are a part of much medical and psychological research. The most important ethical concern is that such subjects are informed volunteers, and not all of Lex's subjects are...maybe. 33.1 is holding a lot of mutants, but whether it experiments on all of them, willingly or unwillingly, isn't clear.
Again, word. It seems like some of them are not voluntary, though, and that's pretty problematic, but I think this is part of Lex's dilemma. I think that he demonstrates here (and in Cyborg) that he does ask them nicely. It seems to me that some of them have to be voluntary, however, unless everyone has read the comics. And even then, you have to take self-interest into account. Who would want to rot in a place like Belle Reve? I'd rather take the chance to get better. It won't happen in that hole of a mental institution.
You're right about the dangers. Lex does need someone to help him stay on course, and he is mentally unbalanced. We know this. And I think having to do these things is just making him worse. This isn't the path that he wanted, but no one else is stepping up to take care of it as far as he knows (The Queen's Men just blowing his shit up and making it harder for him to accomplish his necessary goals), so he feels driven down that path. It seems to be the second path that you mention, giving in to his higher calling, which will eventually mean destroying Clark by whatever means necessary, though it hurts him and makes him miserable to do so. It's something he fervently believes that he has to do, and is justified in doing (read Lex Luthor: Man of Steel).
Long live the Lex-nalysis.