Moral Issues Raised in A Beautiful Mind
The movie A Beautiful Mind tells the story of Nobel Prize winner JohnNash's struggle with schizophrenia. It follows his journey from the pointwhere he is not even aware he has schizophrenia, to the point where Nashand his wife find a way to manage his condition. In the process of tellingthis story and showing Nash's struggle, various moral issues are raised.The various moral issues dealt with will now be considered. The first moral issue raised is the way individuals with mentalillness are perceived and treated. Firstly, it is worth noting that Nash'sdisease is immediately considered to be a problem that needs to be solved.In one way, this can be considered natural, since schizophrenia is adisease. However, it is also worth noting that Nash's condition is not onethat appears to hurt anyone. Nash has the three major symptoms of paranoidschizophrenia, which are delusions of persecution, delusions of grandeur,and hallucinations. The delusions of persecution are seen in his Nash'sbelief that are conspiracies against himself and against his country. Thedelusion of grandeur are seen because he believes he is central toprotecting his country. This results in his behavior where he reviews
If Nash is happier when he is not receiving treatment, then why must hisproblem be treated' These questions show one of the important moralproblems that the film raises, which is how people with mental problemsshould be treated. A similar issue is raised where Nash's medical therapy is shown. Another of the major moral theme relates to society's need to forcepeople to be 'normal,' whether or not it is for the good of the individual. When does someone else have theright to make a decision for someone else' Is it moral to accept apatient's decision if it is known that they are not capable of makingrational decisions' If a patient refuses help but it is known that theyneed help, would it be considered immoral not to provide it' In Nash'scase, the films ending provides an answer to these questions because Nashmanages to solve his own problems so well. This is important because it means that it cannot be argued that Nash mustbe helped for the good of others. Finally, Nash has hallucinations, with theseincluding his college roommate and his boss from the Department of Defense,with neither of these people really existing. As has been seen, the film deals with complex moralissues. For example,consider the case of a person who needs an operation to save their life buthas a phobia of hospitals. The next moral theme dealt with in the film is what rights peoplehave as individuals. At the same time,the film also shows that eliminating a mental disease is not necessarily apositive result. Butdecision-making still remains with the patient. This raises the moral question of whether one should be treated for acondition that is not harming others. He maynot be completely normal, but he does still have an ability to think,judge, and make decisions. Finally, it is worth noting that while schizophrenia is thespecific condition dealt with in the film, the moral themes apply equallyto other conditions.
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