“Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.”
The above quote may seem like just a normal statement to many but I am pretty sure Marvels fans will recognize it. This dialogue iterated by Thanos to Gamora exemplifies the vision of the intergalactic almighty mad titan who seeks to bring balance to the finite universe.
The protagonist of the movie, Thanos understands that natural resources are limited and the answers to deal with its paucity. His answer may baffle some and excite others but his quest surely needs a deep inspection into the current population crisis. Thanos not only brings our attention to the issue of finite resources but also to the concept of managing this supply and demand gap.
But from the point of view of ethics and humanity, the killings can’t be justified. So, we can clearly understand the concern of Thanos but cannot support his way of dealing with the situation.
The views of this God are in accordance with the economic theory of the Malthusian principle, which states that population will always outrun economic growth and it will severely outdo the food production. And it’s happening.
This principle stands true as we can witness the live examples of it in various countries across the world, which also includes developed nations. So, what’s the solution to all this? Should we follow the path of Thanos and just wipe out a considerable size of the population for no fault of their own? It may seem cruel but if required steps are not taken, ultimately, this may be our only hope.
So, if we can’t justify the madness of Thanos, can we find a better way to answer his quest? Well, at least we can try. But this solution doesn’t need any pogrom or mass killing; this needs a kind of mental revolution (as hypothesised by Taylor). His mental revolution provided the solution to the everlasting battle between capitalists and workers. He advocated for converging their views and asked them to treat each other’s concern as a mutual problem. Therefore, instead of dividing the cake amongst themselves, both parties should try to increase the size of the cake.
The same concept can be applied by keeping the different stakeholders of resources as parties and asking them to promote harmony in thoughts by working on increasing the size of the cake. This will not only lead to efficient use of resources but also promote peace among various sections of society.
Another concept, pioneered by Mary Parker Follett can be applied while dealing with this situation. Her integrated conflict theory provides a beautiful method for solving conflicts like this, where everyone involved put their demands across the table in an amicable manner and find an integrated solution. These solutions, if not better, are at least ethical as well as humane in nature.
The death of an innocent person cannot be justified for any reason. But Thanos must surely be appreciated for bringing this problem to our minds in a twisted philosophical manner. All hail the mad titan – Thanos!