Power Struggle In Minority Report

Upon initially reading the text "Minority Report" by Philip K. Dick the reader can infer that there is a power struggle going on between John Anderton and Ed Witwer. This perceived power struggle does not immediately make sense to the reader, however it later becomes an important part of the story. The system described also seems to predict the future in some way by using “precogs, capable of previewing future events and transferring orally that data to analytical machinery” (Dick 10) Therefore the concept of the story that I wondered about the most is what happens to the accused people, prosecuted, and jailed without having ever committed a crime? And furthermore is it justifiable to lock up citizens who have the potential to stay innocent …show more content…
. . [to] . . . [abolish] the post-crime punitive systems of jails and fines.” (Dick 3) However it can be argued that through the system the victims are valued more than the offenders because they are given no opportunity to defend themselves. It has become common today to dismiss accusations without farther evidence and proof. In this society all the proof needed to place someone in jail is for their name to appear on a card. Furthermore the claim of abolishing jails is false because the individuals whose names appear on cards are taken away to camps. One could argue that the camps they are placed in are a different form of jail where there free will is removed as punishment. Additionally, the offenders are able to claim innocence because “in a sense, they are innocent” (Dick 3) having never committed the crime they are accused of. In the society that Anderton helps govern the needs of the many over the needs of the few until it is Anderton that is being wrongful prosecuted; at the time. Anderton acknowledges that the system is potentially flawed because “the minority report, was somehow of importance.” (Dick