What alignment is House?

[Torm]

Chaotic with a very slight Lawful bent, in so far as he has a personal code of conduct that he adheres to strictly - which is to break other peoples' rules any time they try to enforce them on him.

Neutral with a very slight Good bent - he will do evil, neutral, or good things, but his ultimate primary pursuit is the knowledge of the solution to a mystery (which IMHO is a Neutral goal overall) and his secondary pursuit is to save lives and add to the knowledge base that can save lives (long-term Good).

I would let House take care of me if I had a medical problem, but...

No, I would not allow this as a Paladin in my game.

 

[Stalker0]

I don't think that every rational person is perforce lawful. The fact that he believes in the importance of logic and experience doesn't negate the fact that he does what he wants, when he wants.

Its not just that house is rational, he bases his entire existence on it. The few episodes where the science has seemed wrong has really shaken him up. He can't function is things don't go the way he expects. To me that's lawful, neutral at best, but he's certainly not chaotic.

I would say LN for house. House isn't good, he's too selfish. He does what's best for house. Now he will do the best things for others too, but never in sacrifice of himself. To me that's the distinction between good and neutral. Neutral people do good things all the time, but there's something in it for them. Good people do good just because.

As for charisma, House has a very high charisma. The man gets whatever he wants, gets people to see things his way, he's diplomatic, he's intimidating, and he's a pretty good liar when he wants to be. He's the perfect example that you don't have to be the smooth talking salesman to be high charisma, there are other ways of persuading people.

 

[Ace]

My votes, like many others:

House - CN
Foreman - N
Chase - N
Cameron - NG
Wilson - NG
Cuddy - LG

I agree with this mostly except

Foreman is NE. He is very selfish, willing to endanger others (the diseased needle, Cameron bit) and cheats and steals ideas from colleagues (specifically Cameron) without a moment of guilt. he even stole property in the past (as a juvenile)

A person can be Evil and still be likable, care about others and interesting.


Evil and Chaos are world views and ways of acting but they do not mean "all the time jerk"

Cuddy is also N -- She has never demonstrated altruism (so shes not good) of any sort and doesn't mind committing perjury to help a friend continue a drug addiction thats killing him (so shes not lawful) just to aid her hospital

On another note I'd say Dexter (the serial killer CSI guy) is Chaotic Evil --

 

[Glyfair]

Foreman is NE. He is very selfish, willing to endanger others (the diseased needle, Cameron bit) and cheats and steals ideas from colleagues (specifically Cameron) without a moment of guilt. he even stole property in the past (as a juvenile)

I don't think he merits evil, although he might be neutral with some mild evil leanings. His "evil" acts were either under extreme circumstances or pretty minor.

The diseased needle bit was under severe duress and thus, IMO, doesn't count as strongly (although it would still make a major stir on his "alignment graph"). If he did it regularly, that would be another thing. The stealing ideas bit was a single incidence, and wouldn't be enough for me to give him a major shift.

I think he could eventually be one of those characters who skirts the line between neutral and evil if he didn't have compensating good acts, over time. I don't think he's reached that point yet.

 

[an_idol_mind]

Foreman changed quite a bit between season 2 and season 3, largely due to his near-death experience. He might have been evil before, but has experienced quite a shift since, to the point where his newfound morals have lessened his ability as a doctor.

 

[zen_hydra]

On another note I'd say Dexter (the serial killer CSI guy) is Chaotic Evil --

Not to deviate too far off topic, but... there is no chance that Dexter Morgan is Chaotic Evil.

I would place him as Lawful Evil.
I can even accept Neutral Evil, but you will have to give a pretty convincing argument to get me to buy into Chaotic Evil.

If Dexter is anything, he is absolutely methodical.
His "Dark Passenger" may have Chaotic impulses, but do to a life long (almost religious) adherence to the "Harry Code", Dexter lives a completely regimented life.
He even calculates out all of his minor interpersonal interactions, so that he can appear normal.

...and if you have not read the Jeff Lindsay novels that the show is based on, you should.
They do a much better job of conveying Dexter's "otherness". I feel that the show makes him too sympathetic.

 

[Zimri]

This seems like just a nicer way of saying helping people is below him if he isn't enjoying [challanging] himself at the same time. It's a reasonable veiw for a neutral character, but not a good one, imo.

House is what a 15+ level cleric ? Keeping a high level spell in reserve so he can cure common people of common problems IS beneath him there are better things he could be doing that benefit more people over the long term.

What next ? Brennan should perform routine autopsies rather than tracking down killers ? Hodgins should be running random soil samples so the gardening club knows why thier Ph isn't balanced ? Angela should be spending her days teaching or critiquing kindergarten artwork, or maybe doing clipart for some freeware ?

These act's ARE beneath them any other myriad of people COULD do them ... once in a while okay fine. Day in day out for 6 hours a day .... ummm no. Whenever House finds something some one else would have over looked or dismissed he is the first one to go further.

I wouldn't keep a level 20 warblade on retainer as a bouncer in my village inn though he would be very good at it.

 

[prosfilaes]

House is what a 15+ level cleric ? Keeping a high level spell in reserve so he can cure common people of common problems IS beneath him there are better things he could be doing that benefit more people over the long term.

But if for him to be good, he should be doing better things. He doesn't; if you go back to the first season, he's literally doing nothing, and his team is working on crossword problems. He's avoiding helping people even though that's his job. That's not good.

 

[Frostmarrow]

I disagree. It's "solve medical mystery." He has shown no interest in saving lives if the illness isn't mysterious or intriguing in some way. Even when a patient is forced on him, he doesn't give much effort until something unusual happens.

If that's so I'm looking forward to the Save life vs Solve medical mystery episode. That show will settle it.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

House is what a 15+ level cleric ?

No, he's a perfectly normal human doctor.

Keeping a high level spell in reserve so he can cure common people of common problems IS beneath him there are better things he could be doing that benefit more people over the long term.

Like crosswords?

He is not chosing between helping people who are beneath him and helping people only he can help, he is choosing to pass the buck on helping people if he doesn't get anything out of it. Its no better than any other person who passes the buck on helping because "someone else will handle it".

No one has suggested that he should do his job and practice the daily medicine that improves people's lives in unexciting intellectually unstimulating ways to the detriment of his special cases, so why argue against a non position?