Are zombies people, too?

UNIVERSITY CENTER - As a man walks down the street, he hears moaning and

shambling footsteps approaching. The man breathes faster, with his heart rapidly pulsing.


Suddenly, a decaying zombie stands in front of him.


The man tries to run away, only to run into a wall. The zombie walks toward the

unconscious man, but loses interest and wanders off.


Are people judging harshly on zombies?

Because they are alive, does that mean they have the right to live?

These were some of the ethical questions posed and pondered by a full house at the

Humanities Brown Bag lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Philosophy Professor Darci

Doll presented a lecture called “Zombies of Society.” Zombie fans and students on

assignment talked about philosophical meaning to a zombie’s full moral status and

discrimination on the basis of a re-animated, infected being.


The idea started through one of Doll’s students, who was curious on the entire notion of

the existence of zombies and how society thinks negatively about them.


Some logical points made during the lecture include applying full moral status to a

harmless zombie and giving a zombie the right of autonomy to an extent. Though a

zombie is re-animated, “ze” (re-animated pronoun Doll invented) is biologically living

and is equal to a person in terms of moral status as long as no harm is involved.


“You cannot just kill a zombie at first glance,” Doll stated. “Killing them without reason

is just like terminating the lives of non-violent protesters.”


However, society perceives them negatively since they are not “alive” and zombies could

potentially harm, kill, or infect people. Through the lecture, Doll explained preventing a

zombie outbreak by quarantining them is more moral than euthanasia.


However, some people believe killing zombies is the most humane way and the better

way to stop contamination.


“If I say I can quarantine someone if they are a threat of contamination,” says Doll, “it’s

more consistent to staying within your moral rights rather than killing someone. It’s the

same with zombies.”


Another point taught during the lecture was the “low quality” of life of zombies. There

are no records of self-loathing, suicidal zombies, and they have the mental capacity of a

person in a coma because society is unsure of what they are thinking. Society does the

thinking for the zombies since they do not know better.


“We can’t just assume a person’s quality of life through their external activities,” Doll

said.


The presentation offers suggestions to change the way society originally views zombies.


They include identifying sufficient reasons for terminating them, showing non-
discrimination on their re-animated status, and learn to live a way that’s consistent with

your values while not infringing a zombie’s moral rights.


Open-mindedness will help to change society’s original perspective on the re-animated

and hopefully accept their values, as long as they are not devouring human flesh out of

insatiable hunger.