Which Character in Changing Lanes was truly the most moral?.
In the beginning of this movie, two completely different men are brought together almost by fate it may seem. Gavin Banek, a lawyer struggling to reach the top of his career and Doyel Gipson, a father struggling to escape from rock bottom. The two get into a fender bender that could have been solved very simply, but was not. The result of the crash sends the two over the edge with eachother; both participate in evil dishonest acts to get back at the other. From Gavin manipulating Doyle's bank account to Doyel almost killing Gavin, most would believe them to be two very immoral human beings. .
I, however, believe that although they did partake in immoral behavior, it doesn't mean that they have an immoral character. I do believe one of the characters was the most moral however, and that is Gavin Banek. According to Descartes the reason there is evil in the world is because we don't truly know right from wrong. We have limited free will, but limited knowledge. Because of limited knowledge, we misuse our free will to do anything. According to Plato, the soul is made up of three parts: rational-wisdom, spirited-courage, and appetitive-temperance. Justice in the world is reached when these three things are in equality with each other, each doing their specific job. We all know the saying, "Think before you act" don't let desire and courage get in the way of being rational. For example, Gavin's pride and so-called "courage" had overtaken him when he called and had Doyle arrested at his kids" school right in front of them. When Gavin sees Doyle's wife and kids crying afterwards he then realizes what he had done, rationalism finally gained control of his soul again. He goes even further to right his wrong by talking to Doyle's wife and explaining everything and reuniting Doyle with his family. Besides changing the life of his new friend Doyle, Gavin's own life is changed.