Death in the Wasteland

There is a complex and unresolved philosophical debate about whether the dead can be harmed or wronged. Roaming the Capital Wasteland, the deserts of New Vegas, or the Commonwealth, the player character has numerous encounters with the dead and the dying (and depending on one's view about Ghouls, those “in-between”). This chapter will explore the ways in which important ideas in the philosophy of death are borne out in the events of the Fallout series. For example, in Fallout 3 , has James's life gone better if Project Purity succeeds, even though he is not alive to experience it? If so, who is the subject of the benefit (because James no longer exists)? Conversely, if the Lone Wanderer promises James that they will complete Project Purity, but later breaks this promise (e.g., if they side with the Enclave), has James been wronged? If so, who is the subject of the wrong? Another example is the “Blood Ties” side-quest in Fallout 3 , where the Lone Wanderer encounters a commune of cannibals called The Family. Is certain treatment of the dead a social convention that can be justifiably abandoned in extreme circumstances, or is some treatment of the dead just wrong ? How we understand these questions will inform our answer to the following: What do we living owe to the dead?