Cosmic justice in Breaking Bad: Can sociopaths and antiheroes lead meaningful lives?

Abstract

Vince Gilligan believes that in order for life to be meaningful, actions must have consequences, specifically wrongdoers must be punished. If wrongdoers such as Walt are not punished then there is no point to being good. In other words, in order for life to be meaningful, there must be cosmic justice. After exploring various theories of the meaning of life, we see that theistic theories of meaningfulness can accommodate cosmic justice. I argue that it is this brand of justice that reigns in the world of Breaking Bad.