Fear The Walking Dead: Compassion VS Pragmatism

The Pragmatic Survivor Has No Wasted Space

If we’re looking at the philosophy of pragmatism presented by Strand, one of its key tenets is that only those who prove useful survive.

I would classify that as being more “utilitarian,” but one could also argue that pragmatism calls for a certain amount of utilitarianism. The community leader would consider anyone who didn’t provide some useful function as a drain on resources in the now irradiated Texas is something people just can’t afford.

Strand’s community is a very efficient little machine. Everyone living there serves some more significant function, whether that’s growing food, making food, scouting for artifacts, maintaining the electrical system, or simply providing defense. He told Will that he wasn’t taking in anyone unless they proved that they could be “useful.” Even the people doing yoga could argue that they were staying in shape, helping them be physically ready if called to defend the community. They are ensuring that they do not require more food than necessary by being in such a condition, something a person in worse shape couldn’t say.

Brutal though Strand’s approach may be, when you consider how dismal things seemed out in the wasteland for Will, for any kind of group in a zombie apocalypse in that environment, waste of resources is death.

Make you wonder how Strand’s philosophy will hold up when he’s using their electricity to draw walkers.

Speaking of which…