Post-Apocalyptic Ethics: An Analysis of Fallout and Philosophy

The text analyzes the experiments of the Vault-Tec corporation from a philosophical perspective, focusing on the problem of human instrumentalization. The author contrasts the company's actions with Kantian deontology, indicating that treating Vault dwellers solely as a source of data is a violation of their autonomy. The analysis goes beyond assessing the effects of suffering alone, concentrating on the lack of informed consent and information asymmetry. In the context of contemporary ethical standards, such as the Belmont Report or the Declaration of Helsinki, these experiments are deemed fundamentally flawed. The text argues that the researcher's concealment of truth is a form of exercising power that strips the individual of the right to self-determination and turns them into a mere tool in the hands of the designer.