Philosophy and Film

Catalog description

This course explores the relationship between philosophy and film by examining the ways that philosophy helps us understand film as a unique artistic medium, as well as how film helps us grasp complicated philosophical problems with newfound clarity. The first few weeks of the course use philosophy to analyze the deeper aesthetic foundations and socio-political implications of film as an artistic medium that 'represents' 'reality.' The remainder of the course uses films like the Matrix, Inceptions, The Dark Knight, Memento, Minority Report, and Contact to unpack traditional philosophical problems, such as, the distinction between appearance and reality, the problem of free-will, the conflict between faith and reason, the problem of self-identity, and issues of moral choice and obligation. The overall goals of the class are to deepen students' appreciation for film as a mode of intellectual inquiry, broaden the relevancy of philosophy as a way of thinking about the world and enhance critical and creative reasoning. PMI