6039LAW: Cultural Legal Studies Semester 2, 2016

The Law of Equivalent Exchange: Fullmetal Alchemist as Advocating for a Rawlsian Redistribution of Wealth

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The Elric Brothers Edward (Ed) and Alphonse (Al) wander the fictional country of Amestris as State Alchemists in an alternate universe where alchemy became one of the most advanced scientific techniques. Alchemists have the ability to manipulate matter to create almost anything they desire through a process called transmutation. The only limitations on their ability are that when conducting a transmutation, they must provide something of equal value. For example, an alchemist could take the broken parts of a radio and transmute it into a functioning radio again.1 What they could not do is transmute sand into a new radio, as the composite elements for a radio are not contained in sand.2 When the Elric Brothers’ mother died of a mysterious ailment, the children were so devastated that they attempted to transmute her back to life. The consequences were disastrous; what they brought to life was ‘not human,’ and the process costs Ed his leg and Al his entire body. In order to rescue his brother’s soul, Ed sacrifices his left arm to bind Al’s soul to a suit of armour. Ed later has his lost limbs replaced with mechanical ‘automail’ limbs, and after recovering from his injuries the brothers vow to find a way to recover their bodies. Before setting off on their adventure, the brothers burn down their house so they can never turn back.

“On the day we left, we burned down the family home, and all the familiar things inside… because some memories aren’t meant to leave traces.” 3

- Alphonse Elric

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This essay examines the Japanese manga series Fullmetal Alchemist (FMA),4 also having recourse to both its 20035 and 20096 anime adaptions in order to provide real-world solutions to some of the legal dilemmas associated with John Rawls from his seminal work A Theory of Justice.7 It fuses the work of arguably one of the most distinguished moral and political philosophers of our age8 with the Japanese franchise responsible for widespread critical acclaim for its complexity, depth of character and philosophical undertones.9 In doing 1 Mizushima, S. 2003. Fullmetal Alchemist. Bones Mainichi Broadcasting System and Aniplex, Madman Entertainment, Episode 1. 2 Ibis. 3 Ibid, Episode 3. 4 Arakawa, H. 2001. Fullmetal Alchemist. (Vol. 1-27) Viz Media. 5 Mizushima, S. 2003. Fullmetal Alchemist. Bones Mainichi Broadcasting System and Aniplex, Madman Entertainment.6 Irie, Y. 2009. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Bones. Madman Entertainment. 7 Rawls, J. 1971. A Theory of Justice. Oxford. 8 Nussbaum, M. 2001. The enduring significance of John Rawls. Evatt Foundation, (Viewed 20/10/16), http://evatt.org.au/papers/enduring-significance-john-rawls.html. 9 Thompson, J. 2013. Jason Thompson’s House of 1000 Manga – Fullmetal Alchemist. Anime News Network, http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/house-of-1000-manga/2013-06-06.

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so, it proposes new solutions to the issues typically associated with Rawlsian justice. Beginning firstly with a background of the FMA universe and an exploration of using a primarily Japanese medium to supplement Western jurisprudential thought, this paper moves on to discuss the way that FMA’s Law of Equivalent Exchange presumes that resources are finite in the same manner as Rawls, and to this extent, advocates for a Rawlsian iteration of justice. FMA’s treatment of its primary antagonist, Father, in contrast to Ed, then demonstrates the author’s solution to critics of Rawls’ Veil of Ignorance, particularly Robert Nozick, by implying that the source of our overriding sense of community and connectedness is less important than its continued existence. Finally, FMA’s ongoing theme of human interconnectedness through the phrase ‘All is one, one is all,’ combined with its advocacy for the harnessing of negative human emotions into positive outcomes, reflects the Rawlsian notion of natural gifts imparting obligations to the holder. This paper argues that FMA offers solutions to critics of Rawls’ Veil of Ignorance, mirroring his conception of resources as finite through the Law of Equivalent Exchange and gifts as imparting obligations while advocating for an acknowledgement of human interconnectedness that necessitates a Rawlsian redistribution of wealth.

1.0 Fusing of Eastern philosophy with Western jurisprudence

Before delving into FMA’s defence of the Rawlsian conception of wealth redistribution, it is first necessary to explore the capacity of a Japanese medium to come to the defence of a Western philosophical theorist like Rawls. While the link between a prolific Japanese manga series and the work of an American moral and political philosopher is not necessarily an intuitive one, the universality of their sentiments sees them overlap vastly. In many respects it is the measure of an idea’s worth when multiple entities can come to the same conclusion responding to different stimuli, and this is perhaps even more accurate when considering philosophy. In a 2016 BBC documentary entitled ‘The Joy of Data,’ 10 philosophy was touted as the ultimate Wikipedia topic; by clicking the first hyperlink of any Wikipedia page, in 97% of cases following the pattern long enough will return one to the Philosophy page.11 The point being that philosophy is significant - perhaps the most significant form of reasoning employed by human beings, and when a near simultaneous discovery12 occurs, it is often evidence of the infinite efficacy and application of the theory touted. In the case of both FMA and Rawls’ conception of justice, the underlying philosophy is one that is at one level pragmatic, yet at the same time deeply humanist and empathetic in nature.

Responding in particular to her experience growing up amongst racial oppression on Hokkaido in Japan where the Aboriginal Ainu people were dispossessed of their land and displaced by the Japanese, the author touches 10 Fry, H. 2016. The Joy of Data. BBC, (Viewed 25/06/16), http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07lk6tj. 11 Lamprecht, D, et, al. 2016. Evaluating and Improving navigatbility of Wikipedia: A Comparative Study of Eight Language Editions, (Viewed 20/10/16), http://www.daniellamprecht.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Evaluating-and-Improving-Navigability-of-Wikipedia-a-Comparative-Study-of-eight-Language-Editions.pdf, p. 6. 12 Merton, R. 1961. Singletons and Multiples in Scientific Discovery: A Chapter in the Sociology of Science. Columbia University, http://wvaughan.org/notes/Singletons%20and%20Multiples%20in%20Scientific%20Discovery.pdf, p.1.

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on themes ranging from discrimination to scientific morality, corruption, greed, war and the importance of family.13 As a result she developed a philosophy that seeks to treat lived experiences into a broader sense of fairness as inspired by thermodynamics, and to suggest that negative emotions and situations can be harnessed to produce a greater utilitarian outcome. A particularly poignant yet subtly hidden exchange occurs in the manga where one of the story’s teachers instructs a student that, “I am not asking you to forgive. It is our duty to be angry at the injustices of the world. But you must endure.” 14 Also responding to Japan’s mental health crisis and high suicide rate, the author combines this message with one of perseverance and personal sacrifice.

Rawlsian theory responds to similar injustice to those witnessed by the author, beginning from the starting point that, "the most reasonable principles of justice are those everyone would accept and agree to from a fair position.”15 He attempts to determine social justice principles through a thought experiment called the Veil of Ignorance to rectify inequality. In particular, it appears he was influenced by the loss of his two brothers during his youth who fatally contracted illnesses from him,16 as well as the horrors he saw in trench warfare during WWII.17 While Rawls is responding to the tragedy he experienced from a Western perspective, and FMA’s author Hiromu Arakawa responding to uniquely Japanese historical injustices, both are united in combating hardship with a philosophical doctrine that places community and interconnectedness above all else.

Interestingly, the FMA manga series can be considered a much larger fractalisation of the very monstrosities it attempts to articulate an argument against. In an alternate world based largely on the French Industrial Revolution, FMA features a world filled with monsters that embody many of the ‘evils’ we can associate with the human condition. The most prominent examples of this are the Homunculi, the series villains created by the primary antagonist, Father, after he purges all negative emotions from himself. As such, they are the embodiment of each of the Seven Deadly Sins. Throughout the series, the dense population of ‘monstrosities’18 are embodiments of different sins of the human condition, and serve as reminders to the Elric Brothers not to stray from their path; that being that while they operate from a place of reason and logic, this is never at the expense of their humanity. Even the Elric Brothers themselves physically wear the scars of their sins: Ed his automail limbs and Al an entire suit of armour for a makeshift body.19

13 Chambers, S. 2012. Anime: From Cult Following to Pop Culture Phenomenon. Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, (Vol. 3, No. 2, Fall 2012), (Viewed 20/10/16), http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/communications/research/vol3no2/08chambersejfall12.pdf, p, 1. 14 Mizushima, S. 2003. Fullmetal Alchemist. Bones Mainichi Broadcasting System and Aniplex, Madman Entertainment, Episode 30. 15 Audi, R. 1999. Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, pp. 774-775. 16 Gordon, D. 2008. Going off the Rawls, The American Conservative, (Viewed 21/10/16), http://www.unz.org/Pub/AmConservative-2008jul28-00024, p. 1. 17 King, I. 2014. Thinker at War: Rawls, Military History Monthly, (Viewed 20/10/16), http://www.military-history.org/articles/thinkers-at-war-john-rawls.htm. 18 Gallacher, L. 2011. (Fullmetal) alchemy: the monstrosity of reading words and pictures in shonen manga. The Open University, UK, (Viewed 09/10/16), www.cgj.sagepub.com, p. 458.

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Gallacher argues that monstrosity extends beyond the characters, however, to include the manga medium itself.

“Monstrosity is not simply an issue of plot, theme or characterisation in Fullmetal Alchemist; it is also a matter of form. Fullmetal Alchemist is a composite of texts made up of words and pictures, which are arranged in panels, word balloons and gutters on the page… Manga more generally – can be considered to be at least as monstrous as any of the characters within it… Readers must offer some hospitality to monsters … they must be willing to summon them and bring them forth by assembling the disparate and seemingly incompossible elements they encounter on the page.” 20

Perhaps the most appealing feature of the series, however, is that it has two anime series that compliment the manga. The 2009 series (Brotherhood) is considered the vastly superior in terms of remaining true to the manga source material, though the 2003 series (FMA 2003) provides greater emotional depth, character exploration and explanation of alchemy. The beauty of FMA as an avenue of cultural legal studies is its adaptability of both medium and meaning, and the combination of words and pictures to create an atmosphere, yet by the same token the manga falls between the literary and visual arts in such a way that the audience is neither reading nor viewing, but engaged in something experiential and interpretative, allowing the author to say more than any one medium would allow.21

2.0 Finite resources in the Law of Equivalent Exchange and Rawlsian justice

Within the FMA universe, one principle underpins all happenings: The Law of Equivalent Exchange. Each episode of the original 2003 anime begins with Al explaining to the audience that,

“Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy’s first law of Equivalent Exchange.” 22

The only exception to this rule is that alchemists are forbidden from attempting transmutation to bring humans back to life, as nothing could conceivably provide equivalent exchange for the value of a human soul. After the Elric Brothers break the rule against human transmutation in attempting to revive their mother, they set out in search of a Philosopher’s Stone, which is rumoured to be the only way to circumvent the Law of Equivalent Exchange, in order to recover their bodies.

19 Gallacher, L. 2011. (Fullmetal) alchemy: the monstrosity of reading words and pictures in shonen manga. The Open University, UK, (Viewed 09/10/16), www.cgj.sagepub.com, p. 458. 20 Ibid, p. 459. 21 Ibid, p. 463. 22 Mizushima, S. 2003. Fullmetal Alchemist. Bones Mainichi Broadcasting System and Aniplex, Madman Entertainment

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The key link here between the FMA concept of equivalence and Rawlsian theory is the notion that resources are finite. In FMA, equivalent exchange is based on the law of thermodynamics - in particular the conservation of mass,23 which the author simply expands to govern the economic, social and philosophical within the FMA universe.24 Equivalence governs all alchemic reactions, and even the lived experiences of the characters.

One of the most prominent examples of equivalence occurs directly after the Elric Brothers’ failed attempt at human transmutation.25 In exchange for his leg, Ed was thrown through the Gate and given access to unprecedented alchemic knowledge. Meanwhile, Al lost his whole body as a price for the unhuman mess they brought to life, forcing Ed to sacrifice his arm to tie Al’s soul to the suit of armour. In exchange for the pain they suffered from the failed attempt, the brothers learned the painful lesson that human transmutation should never be attempted. Before they had suffered the pain of this loss, the brothers did not appreciate the rule against human transmutation, rendering it meaningless to them. The underlying principle shared between all these transactions is that the equation is always balanced; something is lost so something else can be gained.

Characters who doubt the breadth of the law of equivalent exchange are frequently forced to come to the horrifying realisation that their belief was wrong and they are punished for their naivety. This is demonstrated through the Liore Arc, shortly after Ed has become a State Alchemist. He is sent by his superior Colonel Mustang to investigate a charismatic leader named Father Cornello, who is apparently capable of performing miracles for the townspeople. Cornello has a particularly dedicated followed name Rose who believes he can revive her deceased boyfriend. Rose and Ed quickly come into conflict with one another due to Ed’s staunch belief in the law of equivalent exchange, and he eventually opposed Cornello for performing alchemy disguised as miracles using a small artificial Philosopher’s Stone. A particularly disturbing scene occurs where Rose’s ‘lesson’ takes the form of a curtain being drawn back on a silhouette she believed to be her boyfriend recovering only to reveal a disfigured and mutated bird that could mimic his voice. The Liore Arc makes it apparent to the Elric Brothers that equivalence is always in operation, except where a Philosopher’s Stone can be harnessed to amplify alchemic reactions to bypass it.

Even the Philosopher’s Stone, supposedly the only way to break free of the constraints of equivalence, turns out to be more of an exception that proves the rule than an actual bypassing mechanism as the Elric Brothers had hoped. In fact, the truth is that the Stone is powered by human souls, causing the Elric Brothers to vow they would not reclaim their bodies if it would cost the lives of others.26

23 Gallacher, L. 2011. (Fullmetal) alchemy: the monstrosity of reading words and pictures in shonen manga. The Open University, UK, (Viewed 09/10/16), www.cgj.sagepub.com, p. 471. 24 Irie, Y. 2009. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Bones. Madman Entertainment, Episode 2. 25 Irie, Y. 2009. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Bones. Madman Entertainment, Episode 3.26 Irie, Y. 2009. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Bones. Madman Entertainment, Episode 7.

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6039LAW: Cultural Legal Studies Semester 2, 2016

It is on the topic of resources that Rawls first overlaps with FMA. The Law of Equivalent Exchange, being derived from thermodynamics, holds that matter is not increased; it is simply exchanged. The Rawlsian interpretation of justice emphasises wealth redistribution on the grounds that an individual does not truly own their own gifts, but rather, receives with those gifts an obligation to assist their community. Inherent in this belief is the notion that an individual’s gifts are a finite resource, and by extension, that the possession of that gift is balanced by the deprivation of access to that gift by others. Wittkower, who applies FMA to capitalism, supports this in arguing that,

“The law of equivalent exchange might express a number of different basic beliefs we have about the world… It expresses a scientific rationality – both the beauty of an ordered knowable universe, and the sorrows of a world where not everything is possible. A world where there is final, permanent, and insoluble loss. As a moral law, it expresses an ideal of justice – both that none should benefit without having done something to deserve that benefit, and that no sacrifice should ever fail to receive some kind of compensation in return.” 27

The Nozickian critique of Rawlsian justice focuses particularly on the Difference Principle, which is derived from his original position: The Veil of Ignorance. The Veil is a thought experiment where rational human beings are removed from their context and denied knowledge of their particular abilities, preferences and position within the social order.28 From this position Rawls supposes that every person would have an intuitive understanding of the need for justice,29 and they would consequently elect governing principles to achieve justice free from personal considerations that would otherwise influence them to manipulate justice to service their own ends.30 From the Veil of Ignorance, Rawls draws forth two principles for achieving justice:

“First: each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with similar liberty for others. Second: social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both (a) reasonably expected to be to everyone’s advantage, and (b) attached to positions and offices open to all.”31

The Difference Principle is justified for Rawls on the grounds that undeserved inequalities call for redress by distributing natural talents as a common asset.32 Rawls sees those favoured by natural capacity, social position and even superior character as benefitting from morally arbitrary factors to which the notion of desert does not apply.33 The Difference Principle simultaneously allows the more advantaged party to justify their claim to their gift, while its

27 Wittkower, D. 2009. Human Alchemy and the Deadly Sins of Capitalism. Anime & Philosophy, p. 205. 28 Rawls, J. 1972. A Theory of Justice. Oxford University Press, Oxford, p. 116. 29 Sandel, M.1982. Liberalism and the Limits of Justice Second Edition. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, p. 23. 30 Rawls, J. 1972. A Theory of Justice. Oxford University Press, Oxford, p. 11. 31 Rawls, J. 1972. A Theory of Justice. Oxford University Press, Oxford, p. 7. 32 Rawls, J. 1972. A Theory of Justice. Oxford University Press, Oxford, p. 11. 33 Rawls, J. 1972. A Theory of Justice. Oxford University Press, Oxford, p. 12.

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status as a common asset sees that the less advantaged receive more advantage through the way that the assets are distributed to favour them.34

The Nozickian critique of Rawls here is targeted at the presumption that a gift comes with an obligation. Nozick contends that simply because a natural gift may have been arbitrarily awarded to an individual, this does not undermine desert, and even if it did, that the Difference Principle would not emerge as the preferred methodology.35 For Nozick, natural assets are benign and valid simply because they do not violate the entitlement’s of another. While Nozick concedes that people may not necessarily deserve their natural assets,36 he refuses to accept this imparts to them an obligation to use those assets for the betterment of others.37 While Rawls draws a distinction between the subject and its possessions, Nozick adopts the literalist interpretation of Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative, preferring to view people as ends in and of themselves rather than a means to some other ends.38 Nozick views the metaphysical distinction between the subject and its possessions39 as leaving the subject at the mercy of institutions established for prior existing social ends, violating the idea of liberal voluntarism.40

FMA counteracts the Nozickian contention by arguing that in fact nothing is without its price, as seen through the concept of equivalence. Interestingly, FMA also acknowledges Nozick’s concerns regarding State interference by advocating for personal responsibility and morality as the driving force behind the generosity it promotes. Compounding this position is FMA’s stark view of the State Military, which is shown at various points to be corrupt.41

3.0 Fullmetal Alchemist’s denouncement of Kant’s Radically Disembodied Subject

FMA dedicates a large portion of the primary story arc advocating against the radically disembodied subject in favour of an original position that treads the middle ground between situated and disembodied. FMA is the embodiment of Sandel’s balancing act between a subject that is radically disembodied and one that is radically situated. Evidence of this can be found in Sandel’s argument that humans must see themselves as more than seeking the efficient administration of their desires and available means to their

34 Rawls, J. 1972. A Theory of Justice. Oxford University Press, Oxford, p. 12. 35 Sandel, M.1982. Liberalism and the Limits of Justice Second Edition. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, p. 82. 36 Green, D. 2008. From Poverty to Power: How active citizens and effective states can change the world, Oxfam Publishing, Oxford, pp. 2-15. 37 Sandel, M.1982. Liberalism and the Limits of Justice Second Edition. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, p. 98. 38 Kant, I. 1785. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals 3rd Edition. Indianapolis, Hackett Publishing Company, p. 30. 39 Sandel, M.1982. Liberalism and the Limits of Justice Second Edition. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, p. 79. 40 Banerjee, M. 2011. Social Work Scholars’ Representation of Rawls: A Critique, University of Kansas, https://socwel.ku.edu/sites/socwel.drupal.ku.edu/files/docs/News/Social%20Work%20Scholars%20Representation%20of%20Rawls%20A%20Critique%20-%20Banerjee.pdf, (Viewed 17/04/14) P. 195.41

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satisfaction, but rather as capable of more significant cognition. Sandel argues that,

“We cannot be wholly unencumbered subjects of possession, individuated in advance and given prior to our ends, but must be subjects constituted in part by our central aspirations and attachments, always open, indeed vulnerable, to growth and transformation in the light of revised self-understandings.”

The characters illustrate this are Truth, Ed and Father. Father is the central antagonist of the FMA manga and the 2009 series. He is the oldest of the Homunculi – artificially created humans created through alchemy. Father being the original Homunculus created seven more, each embodying and named after one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Father is arrogant and self-righteous, yet at the same time stoic and lifeless as he purged himself of negative human emotions. He is cold and generally views humans as inferior to himself, with his primary goal being to accumulate power and knowledge in order to become like Truth, the series’ God-like character. In episode twenty-eight of the 2009 series, Father explains his position in asserting,

“When you see an insect lying on the ground, do you stop to consider it a fool? The life of an insect is so beneath you that it would be a waste of your time to even consider judging it. That would be an accurate summation of my feelings towards you humans.” 42

Embodied in Father is an apparent desire to become un-situated. In this sense, Father attempting to become a radically disembodied subject like Truth, removed from any human emotional or social connections in order to become superior to the human race. Father is the living embodiment of Kantian metaphysics and philosophy, and replicates the coldness of the Categorical Imperative.

Kant begins from the paradoxical position that “All our knowledge begins with experience,” while insisting that, “Certain of our cognitions rise completely above the sphere of all possible experience… which… we consider far preferable.” 43 Kant thus views the free and rational mind as predating the sensory experience.44 By freeing man from the nature and sanction of social roles and outside influence,45 people are free to use reason to place Kant’s principles of justice as the first virtue and to utilise the Categorical Imperative to achieve it. Criticisms of Kant’s methodology include attacks on his 42 Irie, Y. 2009. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Bones. Madman Entertainment, Episode 28. 43 Kant, I. 2010. The Critique of Pure Reason. Electronic Classics Series Publications. http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/kant/Critique-Pure-Reason.pdf, (Viewed 15/04/14), p. 17.44 Atalay, M. 2007. Kant’s Aesthetic Theory: Subjectivity vs Universal Validity, Stanford University, http://www.personal.ceu.hu/percipi/archive/200701/05_atalay.pdf, (Viewed 01/05/14), p. 45; Sandel, M.1982. Liberalism and the Limits of Justice Second Edition. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, p. 13; Engstrom, Stephen. 1992, “The Concept of the Highest Good in Kant's Moral Philosophy” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 51, no. 4; pp. 747. 45 Sandel, M.1982. Liberalism and the Limits of Justice Second Edition. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, p. 176.

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combustible presumption that an abstracted subject can determine principles of justice.46 Kant disconnects from the lived realities of human existence, and as such is considered by many to adopt an inferior position to that of a radically contextualised subject.47

FMA argues against Kant’s esoteric reasoning through its treatment of Father towards the culmination of the series. Father claims that Truth – the conscience of alchemists – is a personal God, and that his desires to be more like him is condoned. However, when Father is eventually defeated and sent before Truth in the Gate, Truth reveals otherwise.

Father had attempted to use a Philosopher’s Stone to contain all the power from within the Gate within his own body, a power he calls God. After being defeated in battle by Ed his body was no longer strong enough to contain God, which then emerged from his body and dragged him before the Gate. Distraught that he was not able to attain his greatest desire, he asks God why he was not accepted as its vessel. Truth explains that he had not believed in himself and had instead tried to take the power of someone greater than him. Father had sought to attain all the knowledge of God by purging himself of humanity, causing Truth to reveal that its purpose is to prevent people from becoming boastful and proud. Father is sucked into Gate where he originated from, crying and desperately pleading to know what he did wrong and in doing so demonstrates the same flaws of which he had tried to purge himself.

This portrayal of a being that attempted to become completely disconnected from human experience demonstrates that FMA opposes the radically disembodied subject. It implies that even where a subject does become radically disembodied, this is only temporary, unsustainable, and that eventually the very things that were purged will become factors once again. The successful radically disembodied subject, Truth, is portrayed as wicked and deceptive, implying that some answers are not worth discovering.

This is both a statement against the humanity and the effectiveness of Kant’s methodology. By contrast, FMA advocates for interconnectedness through its praise for Ed when he gives up his ability to perform alchemy to save Al’s life. He is rewarded for realising that he needed human connection more than he needed to feel superior to his fellow man. This in particular applies to the critique of placing justice as the primary good. The Gate, the dimension where Truth resides, is a giant unexplored space that parallels a Rawlsian void, but Ed rejects the need for the knowledge it contains, instead opting to trust in his human connections. In this sense, FMA sidesteps the need to institute a justification for pursuing justice as the primary good; it is something that human inherently value through our empathetic connections to one another. It shuns the idea of becoming lost in abstraction in favour of trusting that justice is an ideal worth valuing.

46 Sandel, M.1982. Liberalism and the Limits of Justice Second Edition. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, p. 175. 47 Nickerson, R. 1998. Confirmation bias: A Ubiquitous Phenomenon in Many Guises. Tufts University, Review of General Psychology 1998, Vol. 2, No. 2, http://psy2.ucsd.edu/~mckenzie/nickersonConfirmationBias.pdf, (Viewed 28/04/14), p. 175.

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4.0 The interconnectedness of humanity through empathy in Fullmetal Alchemist and Rawls’ Veil of Ignorance

The final element to implementing FMA as a solution to the Rawlsian dilemma is the series’ key realisation that all human beings are connected. With justice as the primary based not on the Veil of Ignorance, but a trust in our human empathy and connections, and the knowledge that resources are finite and therefore impart obligations to their holders, the final element is realising that each person is part of a larger ‘all’. By serving the interests of the all, then we in fact simultaneously serve our own interests.

This is particularly evident in the Elric Brothers’ conversations after their first alchemy teacher, Izumi, sends them to Yock island to survive alone for a month without alchemy as part of their training. Izumi tasks the brothers with deciphering the meaning behind the phrase ‘All is one and one is all.” 48 During their month-long exile, the Elric brothers realise they are only a minute and insignificant part of an immense and flowing cosmos which is itself made up entirely of minute and insignificant parts; in this sense the universe is treated as an infinite fractal. Ed comes to the realisation that,

“The great flow that maintains the universe, call it the cycle of life, the course of nature, each one of us is just a small part of that part. One in the all. Yet without all the individual ones, the all can’t exist. This world flows by following grander laws that we can’t even imagine. To recognise that flow, to work in it; to decompose and recreate, that is alchemy.” 49

Izumi later explains to them that this principle extends beyond alchemy to include every aspect of life and existence. A key progression in the brother’s understanding of alchemy throughout the series is that equivalence is not a principle that operates in isolation. In other words, in circumstances where it appears the Law of Equivalent Exchange is breaking down, it is actually operating on a much larger scale than the individuals experiencing it have the capacity to understand. It is a universal principle, not a personal one. As the anime series winds towards its climax, Al’s opening message is modified to the following:

“Human kind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange. In those days we really believed that to be the world's one and only truth... But the world isn't perfect, and the law is incomplete. Equivalent exchange doesn't encompass everything that goes on here, but I still choose to believe in its principle. That all things do come at a price. That there's an ebb and a flow, a cycle, that the pain we went through did have a reward and that anyone who's determined and perseveres will get something of value in return, even if it's not what they expected. I don't think of

48 Mizushima, S. 2003. Fullmetal Alchemist. Bones Mainichi Broadcasting System and Aniplex, Madman Entertainment, Episode 1., Episode 28. 49 Ibid.

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equivalent exchange as a law of the world anymore. I think of it as a promise … a promise that someday we'll see each other again.” 50 

FMA here advocates for the realisation that it is in our interests to help those around us, and that our negative emotions can be harnessed in a positive way. This is explained particularly through the character of Greed, who contends, “Greed may not be good, but it’s not so bad, either. You humans think Greed is just for money and power. But everyone wants something they don’t have.” 51 The Homunculus Gluttony, while motivated entirely by self-interest, manages to save the lives of others simply because he later intended to consume them.52 Despite being fuelled by a negative emotion, a positive result was nonetheless produced. The suggestion of FMA from a Rawlsian perspective is that we can help others out of self-interest; if we are all interconnected as a species, helping others is the same as helping ourselves.

5.0 Conclusion

This essay has examined FMA through its manga incarnation and both subsequent anime series to address the deficiencies with Rawlsian justice. It has been argued that both FMA and Rawls have independently come to a similar interpretation of justice, that being one of empathy and interconnectedness despite being motivated by different stimuli. It was firstly put forward that the Law of Equivalent Exchange parallels the Rawlsian idea that an individual’s gifts bring with them obligations to assist others; according to the idea of equivalence, nothing is without a price. This is strengthened through the realisation throughout the series that equivalence operates on a universal, not singular individual level. From this point, FMA approaches justice from a communitarian perspective in that it advocates for trusting in one’s human connections to gauge what is right rather than attempting to become a radically disembodied subject like Truth only to fall short like Father. Finally it was argued that the motto ‘All is one, one is all’ dictates that all humans are interconnected, and that by assisting others we are in fact serving our own self-interest. It was also noted that the series dismisses the idea of a stoic approach to negative emotions in favour of harnessing them to produce positive outcomes. On these grounds it is postulated that FMA offers important solutions to critiques of Rawlsian justice and presents wealth redistribution as desirable for both society as a whole and each individual who assists in achieving it.

50 Wittkower, D. 2009. Human Alchemy and the Deadly Sins of Capitalism. Anime & Philosophy, p. 216. 51 Mizushima, S. 2003. Fullmetal Alchemist. Bones Mainichi Broadcasting System and Aniplex, Madman Entertainment, Episode 1, Episode 33. 52 Mizushima, S. 2003. Fullmetal Alchemist. Bones Mainichi Broadcasting System and Aniplex, Madman Entertainment, Episode 1, Episode 35.

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