Sin Dolores? La ética política de Maquiavelo y Weber en The Sweet Hereafter

This article, on one hand, seeks to analyze the relationship between ethics and politics through Atom Egoyan's film, The Sweet Hereafter ; and on the other hand, it means to demonstrate that theoretical reflection on certain questions not only can and must be done through the use of written texts, but also must consider other formats, like the arts. Indeed, the film presents a problem that allows for us to pose questions that are uncomfortable for both positions traditionally opposed on the relationship between ethics and politics: for the classical one, of Aristotelian and Judeo-Christian roots, as well as the realistic one, based on Macchiavelli and Max Weber's reflections. The first one, represented in the film by the lawyer's strategy, is based on the absolute value of the truth, and thus does not seem to be able to contemplate the consequences that such a truth can entail for coexistence. The second one, characterized by some of the victims, is based on weighing the consequences of their actions, which makes them face the need to commit a lesser evil - lying on the stand in court - in order to avoid a greater evil - the fall of the community. Nonetheless, they do not seem capable of conceiving that in order to achieve political ethics, weighing the consequences is necessary but not sufficient enough, because it would oblige us to consider a political act guided by values that we consider to be wrong or bad, though defended responsibly, as ethical.