Review of Westworld and Philosophy Scott McLemee Philosophers and screenwriters follow the conundrum in different directions, of course, but Westworld displays a surprising awareness of where the philosophical discussion has already gone. The viewer may feel compelled to humanize the hosts — to imagine the androids as somehow, at some level of complexity, generating an interiority, a…
The Good Place and Philosophy The Good Place, the Bad Place, and Other People George A. Dunn In 2016, NBC premiered The Good Place, surely one of the most unique half-hour sitcoms of all time. It’s unique not only due to its principle protagonists all being dead (except for one who’s an anthropomorphized vessel…
Life and Time in Doctor Strange Immortality in the Dark Dimension Joachim Lipski The 2016 movie Doctor Strange tells us of Stephen Strange’s clash with his fellow sorcerer Kaecilius. According to Kaecilius’ dogma, time is life’s mortal enemy. This belief is what drives him into the servitude of Dormammu, the ruler (or quasi-deity) of…
Extended Deadline: April 16, 2018 Call for Abstracts Saturday Night Live and Philosophy Edited by Ruth Tallman and Jason Southworth 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 If…
Wonder Woman – feminine throwback or modern feminist icon? By Rachel Harris Overall, this collection provides an engaging set of arguments about the meaning of Wonder Woman in a philosophical, feminist and cultural context. Accessible both to academic and general readers, it offers a useful introduction to an array of philosophical theories ranging from Aristotle…
One Tribe Black Panther’s Altruism By Edwardo Pérez “A man who does not prepare his children for his own death is not a good father,” says T’Chaka, the father of T’Challa, the prince of Wakanda who becomes the next Black Panther king in the film Black Panther. It’s an emotional moment spoken between father and…
What Even Matters Anymore? Saturday Night Live and Our Faustian Bargains By Edwardo Pérez The Last Jedi gave us a nihilistic view to ruminate on as we finished out 2017, not just of Star Wars, but of the state of our (dis)union – it was the perfect ending to a year that saw new levels…
