Schindler’s List (Scene 9-12)     Kant or Hume? Do emotions have a place?

The girl in the red dress is a key moment in the film, where everything else is filmed in black and white. She symbolises innocence and the presence of absolute evil. It is the sight of her witnessing atrocities in Krakow which converts Schindler to the moral way of heroic risk. Schindler seems to enter the souls of the suffering people. However he is converted by a profound emotion (see extract from the website). You might discuss whether this clip proves Hume right, that reason really is enslaved to our emotions, and how without emotions, the starving of Africa, or the apparently worthless Jews in Kracow, are just another picture on our screens.

For the novel extract of the scene go to:

www.philosophicalinvestigations.co.uk/topics/kant/extract

For an excellent discussion of how forgiveness is handled as a cinematic theme, which includes a mention of Schindler’s List and the concept of “pardon”, go to:

http://www.widerscreenings.com/selfhelpingcinema.html

Particularly useful for ethics is he lesson plan (lesson 2) on Guilt and Responsibility, which also has some very useful further weblinks:

http://www.facinghistory.org/resources/lessons/nuremberg-remembered-guilt-respo

The You Tube clip of the girl in the red dress is available here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oNmZ9immPs&feature=related