The essay below originally appears as Chapter 15 of Mad Max and Philosophy. Liberating Mother’s Milk: Imperator Furiosa’s Ecofeminist Revolution Jacob Quick Women hooked up to milking machines. “Breeders” wearing chastity belts. A masked man telling people not to “become addicted to water.” What in the world is going on here? In addition to imprisoning…
Explore the philosophy at the core of the apocalyptic future of Mad Max Beneath the stylized violence and thrilling car crashes, the Mad Max films consider universal questions about the nature of human life, order and anarchy, justice and moral responsibility, society and technology, and ultimately, human redemption. In Mad Max and Philosophy, a diverse team of political scientists,…
Apologies for multiple postings. We have extended the deadline to March 18 for those who are just catching up with Wheel of Time on Amazon. We are still open to submissions on any topic, but we are especially interested in: The Metaphysics of Time; Aelfinn, Foreknowledge, Prophecy and Determinism I am Tower Law: Authority, Power, and Popular Sovereignty Let the…
Is Our Fate Written? Understanding Choice in Mission Impossible Edwardo Pérez For all the death-defying stunts and impossible, action-packed scenarios, Paramount’s Mission Impossible film series starring Tom Cruise offers an interesting philosophical thought experiment: If you could save the world, would you? If you choose to accept, how far would you go to not just…
“And If All of That is Also True for a Doll …” Feminist Epistemology in Barbie Sami Seybold There are many unexpectedly delightful moments in the new Barbie movie. Perhaps the glowing gem at its center is America Ferrera’s raw monologue about the contradictory nature of womanhood. It is literally impossible to be a woman.…
How Gorillaz Play with Self-Presentation Kyle York Gorillaz are not real. As we all know, Gorillaz’ band members—2-D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel—are animated characters. Their early video album Phase One: Celebrity Take Down shows the four as dark silhouettes wielding scythes, ready for a coup of celebrity culture. But what sort of coup is happening…
One Way Out Andor and Democratic Violence By Richard Neve At the beginning of both Rogue One and Andor, our titular hero Cassian Andor, murders someone in cold blood. In Andor he kills two corporate security guards to avoid being arrested. The first may have been an accident but the second is definitely intentional. In…
What does it mean to choose wisely? Can heroes seek fortune and glory? Why does Indy take a leap of faith? Do Indy’s adventures provide him evidence of the supernatural? Should we hide the Ark of the Covenant in a military-controlled warehouse? Why are museums so important to archaeology? If adventure has a name,…
Misery in Paradise The Philosophy of The White Lotus Dylan Skurka In one of the more memorable scenes of Plato’s Republic, a bickering match takes place between Socrates and a curmudgeon named Thrasymachus about justice: while Socrates is certain that justice is something real, universal and intrinsically valuable, his philosophical foe thinks that all talk of…
Taylor Swift and Philosophy Edited by Georgina Mills and Catherine M. Robb Call for Abstracts The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series Please circulate and post widely. Apologies for cross-posting. To propose ideas for future volumes in the Blackwell series please contact the Series Editor, William Irwin, williamirwin@kings.edu Contributors of accepted essays will receive an honorarium.…
The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series 