Sega’s Comix Zone and Miguel de Unamuno On the Ontological Status of Fictional Characters By Alberto Oya Comix Zone (Sega Technical Institute, 1995) is a two-dimensional scrolling beat ‘em up videogame released in 1995 for the Sega Mega Drive (known as Sega Genesis in North America). The concept, design and art direction of the videogame…
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom The Story of (Fossil) Dinosaurs Who Walked into an Auction Room By Victor Monnin At the end of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), genetically-engineered dinosaurs are being sold to an evil consortium of arms dealers and military leaders during a secret auction. In their attempt to stop the sale, the three…
Metallica and the Freedom to Roam William Irwin *This essay is excerpted and adapted from The Meaning of Metallica: Ride the Lyrics. Metallica means freedom, and “Wherever I May Roam” is a declaration of individual independence, a freedom manifesto. The song starts with sitar, evoking visions of the far East, but this is an American…
Check out the 2nd edition of Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture: From Socrates to Star Wars and Beyond. Can Wonder Woman help us understand feminist philosophy? How Does Wakandan technology transcend anti-Blackness? What can Star Trek teach us about the true nature of reality? Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture makes important philosophical concepts and the work of major philosophers relevant, fun, and…
Let it Go? Elsa, Stoicism, and the “Lazy Argument” Brendan Shea Disney’s Frozen (2013) and Frozen 2 (2019) are among the highest-grossing films of all time (IMDb 2021) and are arguably among the most influential works of fantasy produced in the last decade in any medium. The films, based loosely on Hans Christensen Andersen’s…
Check out this video of volume editor Kimberly Engels talking about The Good Place and philosophy.
Dolly Parton’s Philosophy of Social Cooperation “I’m Not the Dalai Lama, But I’ll Try” By Darin DeWitt Dolly Parton’s exceptionally diverse audience has long been a source of wonder. As Fran Lebowitz often quips, “people who hate each other love Dolly Parton.” When performing in London in 1983, Parton expressed surprise “at the wide diversity…
Musical Journeys with Metallica’s Kirk Hammett William Irwin I’ve appreciated Metallica’s instrumental compositions, particularly “Orion,” but I prefer music with lyrics. Really, I’m obsessed with song lyrics. My book The Meaning of Metallica: Ride the Lyrics explores lyrical themes in Metallica’s songs, including freedom, religion, insanity, death, war, and addiction. I like a song to…
In Yellowstone, There’s a Good Reason to Be Meaner than Evil Jamey Heit The world of Yellowstone is not for the faint of heart. Amidst the backdrop of nature’s grandeur, viewers encounter power plays, schemes, and betrayals as the Dutton family pushes back against forces that want their land. The family’s relationships are cutthroat and…
Divine kings or postmodern puppets? Reading Nirvana and NFTs with Jean Baudrillard and Mark Fisher By Nick Hagan It’s October 1991. A photographer goes to see an up-and-coming band called Nirvana play in Philadelphia, just days after the release of their new record, Nevermind. You know — the one with this image on the cover: The…
The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series 