The Ethics of Sacrifice

Are the systems of ethics we know and love spelling the end of humankind under our noses? Madoka Magica is a Gen Urobuchi anime with a shoujo, magical girl surface, but a dark and twisted story underneath worthy of many a video essay or analysis. Following Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Mami Tomoe, Homura Akemi, and Kyoko Sakura, these magical girls appear to fight evil for the sake of good, but did their mysterious benefactor Kyubey, an Incubator, actually mislead them? While these girls make contrast for their powers (any wish in exchange for a lifetime of fighting witches) the terms aren’t exactly clear, one big reveal of the series. While Madoka, Sayaka, Kyoko, and Homura find despair in this truth, Kyubey walks a seemingly cold utilitarian line; this bad deal is actually helping prevent the death of the universe, and it’s in line with the result of human ethics they observe. This conflict leads to interesting ethical questions in the war of Utilitarianism and Deontology, or Bentham vs Kant, but much