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.…
Call for Abstracts The Last of Us and Philosophy Edited by Joshua Horn 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, at williamirwin@kings.edu Contributors of accepted essays will receive an honorarium. Abstracts…
Ethics of Care through BTS’s Lyricism Courtney Lazore Over the last several years, BTS, the seven-member pop ensemble from South Korea, has achieved unprecedented success on the global pop scene. ARMY, the group’s fandom, has a lot to be proud of: several Grammy nominations, multiple chart-topping albums, and a history of sold-out stadiums, among other…
Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here – Why is the Grim Darkness of the Far Future so Interesting? (Warhammer 40K and Philosophy) Thomas Arnold There is a meme about going to your favourite fictional universe. Star Wars? “Exciting! Jedis and Wookies!” Star Trek? “Interesting! A peaceful confederation, exploring things and pondering ethical questions.” Warhammer…
The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series 