Vault‐Tec and the Moral Fallout of Human Experimentation

Although Vault-Tec publicly marketed its vaults as sanctuaries from nuclear catastrophe, the company's true aim was to use its occupants as unknowing subjects in a network of covert experiments. This chapter asks what, if anything, could justify experimenting on the Vault Dwellers without their knowledge or consent. It explores Vault-Tec's possible motivations and evaluates whether they hold up under Kantian deontology and both act- and rule-utilitarianism. The analysis highlights how Vault-Tec's choices echo the scientific attitudes and abuses of the mid-twentieth century. These practices grew out of a techno-optimistic era that prioritized progress over individual autonomy, a perspective the Fallout series intentionally mirrors. By comparing Fallout 's fictional experiments to historical practices, the chapter illuminates the objections to Vault-Tec's actions and the ethical reasoning that now anchors modern research standards.