I think Jack knows shades of grey perfectly well, but he's action-focused and will settle on a solution and go through with it.
the Doctor would never have done what he did (in my opinion--though it's a tough comparison, because if CoE had been written as a DW episode, he wouldn't have had to make the choice
I think he could have - he did during the Time War, and he was ready to do it in The Beast Below. It would have broken him, but he could have. But as you say, it's DW, so he's spared having to go through with it. Jack, on the other hand, probably finds it easier to put off the "too horrible to contemplate" thoughts until he's done with the action. He's better at compartmentalising.
"The Doctor: friend or foe? Friend. Okay, glad we settled that." Or something.
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the Doctor would never have done what he did (in my opinion--though it's a tough comparison, because if CoE had been written as a DW episode, he wouldn't have had to make the choice
I think he could have - he did during the Time War, and he was ready to do it in The Beast Below. It would have broken him, but he could have. But as you say, it's DW, so he's spared having to go through with it. Jack, on the other hand, probably finds it easier to put off the "too horrible to contemplate" thoughts until he's done with the action. He's better at compartmentalising.
"The Doctor: friend or foe? Friend. Okay, glad we settled that." Or something.
Hee, yes, that! :D