Classic Questions and Contemporary Film: An Introduction to Philosophy

A great blend of classic sources, modern movies, and critical analysis. This is the perfect textbook for teaching and learning philosophy through film.
William Irwin, King s College, General Editor of the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series

Dean Kowalski has produced a textbook that is both comprehensive and accessible to students. One of the marvelous qualities of the book is that it has high expectations of students. The selections of readings, the student guides, and, most impressively, the range of films discussed makes this an excellent introduction to philosophical thought and, equally important, a model for how to engage students with philosophy through the use of film. The latter takes real skill and Kowalski is an expert guide. The integration of a wide range of films along with the readings, exposition, and applications will provide any student with an excellent foundation in philosophy and should spark that wonder in students to which all philosophy classes aspire.
James B. South, Marquette University

Fully revised and updated, Classic Questions and Contemporary Film: An Introduction to Philosophy, Second Edition, aims to excite and motivate students to do philosophy by introducing them to core philosophical concepts through explorations of popular movies. The new edition includes discussion of eighteen additional films, including Inception, V for Vendetta, and Hotel Rwanda, and coverage of fresh topics such as rhetoric and sophistry, Plato s Republic, and religious experience. A new chapter on the human condition, which includes discussions of personal identity, the meaningfulness of life and death, and existentialism, has also been added. The features that made the first edition so successful have been kept and enhanced. Each chapter opens with a classic philosophical reading, and offers a rich pedagogical framework, including learning outcomes, jargon–free argument analysis, critical thinking and trivia questions, and textboxes with helpful notes on the movies discussed. These features provide readers with the tools they need to make the leap from reading about philosophy to doing philosophy. Engaging and thought–provoking, Classic Questions and Contemporary Film, Second Edition, offers a wealth of insights into the myriad critical philosophical issues raised in popular films.

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xii

About the Website xiii

Philosophy, Rhetoric, and Argument 1

1.1 Historical Setting: Plato, Gorgias 2

1.2 Discussion and Analysis 6

1.3 Films 23

Thank You for Smoking (2005) 23

Minority Report (2002) 27

The Emperor s Club (2002) 31

1.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 34

Epistemology and Skepticism 37

2.1 Historical Setting: Descartes, Meditations I and II 38

2.2 Discussion and Analysis 44

2.3 Films 59

The Matrix (1999) 59

Inception (2010) 62

Vanilla Sky (2001) 66

2.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 69

God, Creation, and Evil 71

3.1 Historical Setting: Paley, The Argument from Design 72

3.2 Discussion and Analysis 74

3.3 Films 91

Bruce Almighty (2003) 91

Creation (2009) 94

Schindler s List (1993) 98

3.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 101

Freedom, Fate, and Determinism 104

4.1 Historical Setting: D Holbach, System of Nature 105

4.2 Discussion and Analysis 109

4.3 Films 121

The Adjustment Bureau (2011) 121

Gattaca (1997) 124

Run, Lola, Run (1998) 128

4.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 132

Mind, Body, and Consciousness 134

5.1 Historical Setting: Descartes, Meditation VI 135

5.2 Discussion and Analysis 138

5.3 Films 156

Being John Malkovich (1999) 156

Bicentennial Man (1999) 159

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 163

5.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 166

Ethical Foundations and Moral Truth 169

6.1 Historical Setting: Sumner, Folkways 170

6.2 Discussion and Analysis 173

6.3 Films 190

Hotel Rwanda (2004) 190

Frailty (2001) 194

The Cider House Rules (1999) 197

6.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 200

Ethics and Values 203

7.1 Historical Setting: Reid, Of the First Principles of Morals 204

7.2 Discussion and Analysis 208

7.3 Films 221

Saving Private Ryan (1998) 221

Horton Hears a Who! (2008) 225

Groundhog Day (1993) 228

7.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 232

The State, Social Contracts, and Justice 235

8.1 Historical Setting: Hobbes, Leviathan 236

8.2 Discussion and Analysis 240

8.3 Films 256

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005) 256

V for Vendetta (2005) 259

Serenity (2005) 263

8.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 266

The Human Condition 269

9.1 H istorical Setting: Russell, The Value of Philosophy 270

9.2 Discussion and Analysis 273

9.3 Films 288

Memento (2000) 288

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) 292

Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) 296

9.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 299

Appendix

A.1 A Deductive Logic Primer 302

A.2 Film 312

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974) 312

Glossary 316

Index 323

Dean A. Kowalski is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin–Waukesha. He is the author of Classic Questions and Contemporary Film (2005) and Moral Theory at the Movies (2012). He is the editor of Steven Spielberg and Philosophy (2008), The Philosophy of The X–Files (2009), and The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy (Wiley, 2012), and the coeditor of The Philosophy of Joss Whedon (2011).