Black Panther, What if, and the Philosophy of Fathers and Sons Edwardo Raul Pérez Watching “What if … T’Challa Became a Star-Lord,” the second episode of Disney+’s What if, with my children, having just learned that my father died (but being emotionally unable to immediately tell my kids, because the words just wouldn’t come out,…
Tove Jansson’s Moomins: Just Stories? Peter West In this short discussion of the Moomins and philosophy, I want to do two things. First, I want to point out some obvious instances of philosophy at work in the Moomins. Second, I want to suggest that the way Tove Jansson treats the relation between fiction and reality…
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…
The Gift of Death in The 100 Edwardo Pérez How do we want to die? It’s not a question most of us want to contemplate. We don’t want to think about the end of our lives much less plan them. End-of-life planning is something we put off or don’t do (or we buy stock in…
The Flash Season 2, Episode 18 Writing Shortcut or Kantian Ethics? By Matthew William Brake My friends and I have a sacred tradition. Thursday is “Nerd Night.” Let me explain. I am a part of a holy gathering of nerds who come together on Thursdays to binge watch that week’s episodes of the so-called…
Whiplash and Philosophy Does the Aesthetic End Justify the Immoral Means? By Douglas Groothuis Directed by Damien Chazelle, Whiplash is a film about jazz that is laden with moral theory enacted through drama. An aspiring 19-year old jazz drummer, Andrew (played by Miles Teller) attends a prestigious music school—on the order of Julliard—where he is…
The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series 