The Categorical Imperative in Rocky IV

    

The Categorical Imperative in Rocky IV

  In the movie Rocky IV an aging Apollo Creed has an exhibitiob fight with Phenom Russian boxer Ivan Drago. In the fight Rocky is in Creed's corner as his trainer. In the fight Apollo receives a thrashing from the super boxer Drago. Beaten so bad that blood is gushing from his face Apollo tells Rocky not to stop the fight. The next round Apollo is killed because Rocky doesn't stop the fight.

Lifeless Apollo Creed



       During the fight Rocky had a duty to Apollo to not stop the fight. Apollo wanted to go out with a bang. He had honor and wanted to prove he was still a good boxer at an older age. Rocky also had a duty to himself because he was getting older as well.
       The categorical imperative would to be to stop the fight so Apollo lives but Rocky did not do so. He must have felt that his duty to Apollo was stronger than his duty to keep Apollo safe.



Is the Ethical Stage of Life the Actual Stage of Freedom?

Many people in the ethical stage of life think that a person in the aesthetic stage of life are not really free but actually controlled by impulses and never actually chooses what they want to do. A great example of this idea is Ron Burgundy. Time and time again he allows his impulses get in the way of what he truly wants to do.

Ron Burgundy hitting on Veronica Corningstone



One of Ron's main goals for his future is to become a network Anchor but his rivalry with Veronica Corningstone got in the way of this. When Ron's dog is punted off a bridge he is a wreck and cant make it to work to read the news in time. Corningstone takes his place and soon becomes his co-anchor. A rivalry ensues and ends when Veronica  writes "Go f*ck yourself San Diego" knowing Ron will read anything on the teleprompter. Ron is fired from the station but if he just was ethical and did not start a huge rivalry he would have kept his job and would be a network news anchor in no time!