Megumu Iizunamaru (Utilitarian) VS Byakuren Hijiri (Deontologist): 東方利維坦~Leviathan~

 

Why I have decided to write it and illustrated this image of these characters from Touhou Project

There was an opinion poll to decide which character could be our ideal chief / manager / commander in Touhou Project. I personally thought Megumu Iizunamaru, the chief of the Tengu clan, would be the best in the poll. However, she did not take the first place in this particular opinion poll. At the same time, the result was still agreeable because Byakuren Hijiri, the chief of Myourenji temple, took the first place. 

Both Iizunamaru and Hijiri have an ideal quality as a leader of an organisation. It should not be the case that either one surpasses the other for their leadership quality. It is not the issue of the quality; It is the issue of their characteristics to distinguish their suitability of being an ideal leader of one organisation! 

Their characteristics of business management and political philosophy can be clearly explained by means of the two major philosophical theories of ethics and social justice: Utilitarianism, invented by Jeremy Bentham, and Deontology, mostly notably the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. 

The former values the actions bringing the greatest happiness/welfare/profit in consequence. The latter values the action depending on the moral evaluation of the nature of the actions regardless of the consequence. Amazingly, it is quite obvious to be able to explain that Iizunamaru follows Utilitarian whereas Hijiri follows Deontology according to their scripts in both the original Touhou project (*1) series and various fan-arts of them. 

This dichotomous comparison of these two ethical principles is discussed in various realms in the world. Justice with Michael Sandel lecturing about social justice and its ethical principle in the University of Harvard can be the most remarkable stage of this discussion. Yuval Noah Harari, having published "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" has predicted this topic will be an essential matter for setting the thought processes of the artificial intelligence (AI). It is hotly discussed in not only politics and sociology but also management and our daily-life ethics. 

This is a really wonderful coincidence that the action principle of Iizunamaru and Hijiri follows either of the ethical principles. It enables to introduce these social justice theories with the examples with these images of Touhou project with fun. I have also enjoyed illustrating these images of Megumu Iizunamaru and Byakuren Hijiri for this article (*2).

*1 Touhou project series produced by ZUN and Shanghai Alice Fantasy Band 

*2 These illustrations are posted in my Pixiv page so please visit https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/32334195! 

What is "東方利維坦~Leviathan~"

This blog title is also my own Fanzine title based on this battle of these excellent chiefs I am thinking of to publish if realisable. Leviathan is the tittle of the book published by Thomas Hobbes, the British philosopher in the 17th century. It introduces the historical evolution and the philosophical principle of law and order. Leviathan is originally a humongous mythological monster, and this book refers to this monster as a metaphor of organising a civic nation and the other massive organisations. It also explains about the necessary existence of one sovereign with rational authority sustaining the organisational structure as well as the entire social order. 

Iizunamaru belongs to the largest organisation in Gensokyou (the Touhou world) and takes part of a major role for leading her Crow Tengu clan. Youkai mountain is composed of various Youkai clans functioning to sustain their civic social order and technological progress as tough it were one major corporation oligarchy. She works on behalf of the interest of this humongous organisation equivalent to Leviathan state. 

Hijiri, the chief nun magician of Myourenji temple, manages a relatively smaller group than Iizunamaru whilst she aspires for establishing one immense civic social order uniting human and Youkai (*3). This is a deviant ideal which the majority of Touhou characters of both attributions. At the same time, she has a plan and the talent of establishing such a state with a size of Leviathan although her ideal is different from Hobbesian autocratic sovereign state. 

In this Fanzine, if realised, I would like to write a story of Iizunamaru and Hijiri. Iizunamaru and Youkai mountain representing the status-quo of the current Leviathan state. Hijiri and her fellows rebel against it with their ideal holding out for alternative organisational structure. This article introduces the background of this anticipated plan hoping to make it able to understand this major topic in philosophy, politics, sociology, and then the AI development.

 *3 Youkai generally a Japanese mystical creature whereas Touhou project uses this term as non-human attribute. 

 

Byakuren Hijiri & Immanuel Kant: Deontologist

Kantian philosophy claims for a fundamental criterion like mathematical axiom enabling logics of ethics to objectively self-evaluates its validity itself.  This criterion justifies the nature of actions and thought-processes rather than their consequence. They are categorically verified if they follow this criterion. Otherwise, they are classified as hypothetical. These actions are motivated by the ethical duty determining absoluteness of right and wrong so that this is why it is called Deontology.

Kant was also remarkable for initiating the idea of establishing the united nation under a principle of human-right.  In order to seek the happiness of all, the world has to be united under this principle eventually. Even though the separation and the conflicts among nations and tribes have been inevitable, all the people are ought to maintain their ethical universal principle to converge to such a state. 

Hijiri's philosophy is identical to Kantian. She treats both human and Youkai equally and keep aspiring to establish a unification of tribes of both human and all attributes of Youkai in Gensokyou. Nevertheless, her ideal is indeed deviant in the world of Gensokyou where the segregation among a human commune and the tribes of Youkai is considered as inevitably necessary. Reimu Hakurei, the protagonist of Touhou project series who is in charge of moderating the entire law and order of Gensokyou, even support the segregation policy between human and Youkai.  

The ethics of both Kant and Hijiri has a critical drawback which is the lack of tolerance. In terms of Gensokyou history, Hijiri has revealed her intolerance towards the protagonist. Hijiri started assaulting them because they insist on defeating Youkai in their duty to solve the incidence caused by Youkai at the first encounter. Furthermore, Hijiri imposes strict precepts on not only herself but also all her fellows in Myourenji temple in their daily life. Therefore, their degree of freedom in their actions and thoughts are morally restrained.  

Megumu Iizunamaru & Jeremy Bentham: Utilitarian

Benthamite philosophy claims for the greatest sum of pleasures and the lowest sum of pains as the principle of moral and legislation. This concept is the cost and benefit analysis for the ethical justification. Bentham attempted to quantify the outcomes brought by legal settings and individuals' actions to make their costs and benefits mathematically measurable. Therefore, he aspired to establish an fundamental axiom for justifying law and ethics for mathematical estimation of equitable judgement and future outcomes. 

Bentham was sceptical about the customary law relying on the past examples and tradition plus the unquantifiable emotions and morality.  Benthamite ethics tolerates various customs and actions as long as they bring a greatest pleasure and profit with the lowest possible cost and pain while not unnecessarily harming the others. Together with its focus on the future outcome rather than the past tradition, this ethics encouraging innovations of adopting new ideas and technologies as well as a high degree of freedom of actions and thoughts. 

Iizunamaru's philosophy is identical to Benthamite. She is eager to adopt new ideas and technologies encouraging the development and the welfare of her clan and the entire Youkai mountain.  Her role covers not only managing her own Tengu clan members but also collaborating with the subsidiary inside Youkai mountain such as Kappa and their factory. She has also initiated a new product distribution in a market of the spell card by taking a high risk. Despite her very high demand for various tasks, she treats her subordinates and stakeholders well enough to gain a high charisma of being loved and trusted by them.

The problem of their philosophy is the negligence of something unquantifiable and the risk of unpredicted costs incurred upon their action. Iizunamaru has plotted the market manipulation by distributing the extra spell cards by colluding with Chimata Tenkyu. The spell card rule is something sacred which should not be easily manipulated in Gensokyou. This is why it was cracked down by Reimu of Hakurei shrine. For the sake of maximising profit for herself as well as her fellows, she sometimes commit dirty or risky business which tend to be criticised by the traditional moral sense. This is the typical drawback of Utilitarianism regarding highly of the end justifying the mean in general. 

 

Brief Conclusion

This analogy of ethics in social justice with Touhou characters may help more people to understand in an explicit way. This topic is widely discussed in various fields in academia and our daily life. Also, studying about this subject may make people enjoy the entertainment of Touhou project. The next challenge will transform this topic to more entertaining media such as comic or video.  I personally have to investigate how to do so and make my own effort to realise it somehow.