humanity...what is it after all?

[Vezild]

"Rare tiny black sprite found on corpses. Use to gain 1 humanity and restore a large amount of HP.
This black sprite is called humanity, but little is known about its true nature.
If the soul is the source of all life, then what distinguishes the humanity we hold within ourselves?"
:troll:

 

[KtWtWiS43]

Anytime. Looking forward to your thoughts/counter stroke.

Hey Lexy,

I never got back to you. I feel like we're basically on the same page. I really enjoyed reading your comments, I completely agree with what you said. "Creating justice, rather than being handed it and asked to dispense it, as it were," this is something I've thought about the Sparda character many times. Something I've always appreciated about the series is the blurred distinction made between the good vs. evil stereotype. We're used to demons being evil, and humans being good, and yet we play a character who is both. Things aren't so black and white in Devil May Cry, and therein lies the intrigue for me. Lady's revelation at the end of DMC3 "Humans as evil as any devil, as well as kind and compassionate demons in this universe," is exemplary of the idea.

So, let's get back to the idea of good vs. evil. Where does true justice come from then, if not from a higher power? We discussed that the sense of right and wrong can differ depending on which perspective you're looking at it from. I feel like, as defined by various segments of our conversation and segments of this thread, that it must start with the way the characters carry themselves, and the choices they make. Humanity and inherent goodness therefore, can be described as a way of life, exemplified by compassion and selflessness. Though there are definitely two separate races, human and demon, the choices they make ultimately define them. Trish wakes up to justice in her own way, and sacrifices herself for Dante--emulating Eva's sacrifice, which results in Trish attaining her own humanity. Arkham kills his own wife and thinks only of himself, and although human, becomes as "evil as any devil," in Lady's own words.

Therefore, it's fairly established that in their own ways, humans and demons are fairly equal beings on a spiritual level, and it’s their choices which define how good or bad they are. Well duh. So it's clear that their choices define them, but is Dante's sense of justice what makes him inherently a good person? I was having a debate with one of my friends about vigilantism in superheroes (yes, this is my life) and to paraphrase her stance, she believed that the idea of enacting vigilante justice was abhorrent. This made me think about Dante's sense of right and wrong and how it could apply to the characters in Devil May Cry.

In the end, I honestly don't think there is such a thing as "true justice." As defined by my friend's argument, by putting yourself above the law, a superhero may be upholding justice, but they are only upholding their own sense of justice, which varies from person to person. Keeping in mind that every superhero makes mistakes, and that heroes such as Spider-Man or Batman for example, aren't always going to be right 100% of the time, we came to the conclusion that every hero in a sense isn't perfect. And by her standards, she felt that a superhero can't enforce true justice if they are themselves fallible. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone," if you will.

If a hero is fallible and makes mistakes, than they are not deserving of the infallible, god-like power over people's lives, that they give themselves by putting the law into their own hands. Let's face it. More often than not, we see superheroes abuse their powers, make mistakes, and characters in their storylines often die as a direct result. Uncle Ben in Spiderman, and Rachel Dawes in the Nolan Batman movies for example. So then how can they enforce justice, or even know where true justice comes from, when their own sense of justice leaves a trail of bodies in their wake? Her argument was that they can only truly pass judgment on others, if they themselves are perfect beings, or else their sense of justice would be skewed and biased. Look at Marvel's Civil War for instance: Every superhero in the entire Marvel universe, fighting each other over what they all perceive to be true justice. In the end, ideals drop and where does true justice lie? In the winning side? In whichever side beats the other to a pulp and comes out on top? Is Dante's sense of justice truly justice because he always comes out on top in the end? Certainly he's not a perfect character. Does this make him fallible, and make his pursuit of justice skewed?

What makes the search for justice compelling in any story for me, is the fact that it may very well not exist. Arguably, the only perfect human being that was said to have lived was Jesus. Whether you're religious or not, it's pretty clear at this point that none of us are perfect. So to combat my friend's argment, I support vigilantism in superheroes, or let's say Dante, or Sparda's sense of justice, because indeed none of us are perfect. It's ridiculous to assume that any of us are going to make the RIGHT choice 100% of the time, but what's important to me is the sense of choosing justice as Sparda does. To seek out justice, rather than have it defined by a god or higher power is ultimately what I continue to find compelling about the series. The characters in Devil May Cry may not make the best decisions every time, but their unyielding search to better themselves, the selflessness with which they protect others .. these are the things which I feel justice comes from. Admittedly, we are a flawed race. Human or demon, we are a long way from perfection and true justice will always be out of reach. Until our race evolves to the point where we can understand what justice and right and wrong truly mean, we can only eek away at it as Dante and Sparda do. Little by little we can fight to better ourselves and the people around us, until one day our race can achieve perfection.

So to answer Danteredgrave's question "Humanity ... what is it after all?" I believe that humanity at the core comes from the need to better ourselves as a people and to better understand the world around us. This comes with a certain humility, which stems from accepting that we are not perfect and there is room to grow. We see characters like Mundus, Arkham, and Sanctus hit a wall because of their own arrogance and self perceived perfection, while characters like Trish, Lady, and Dante continue to grow by bettering the human race through their own selfless sense of justice. In the end, I find this "search for justice" far more interesting and relatable, than having a God character set everything in stone in the way you were speaking of the new "DmC."

 

[seraphmaycry]

a short but simple post sums up my opinion of this issue.

in the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, it is stated dolphins believe themselves smarter then man because they didn't build machines.

i agree with the dolphins.

so long, and thanks for all the fish!