The Last Jedi Nihilism, Übermenschen, and a Rey of Hope by Edwardo Pérez The Force Awakens ended beautifully, with Rey and Luke Skywalker staring at each other, standing atop an island mountain, with a lightsaber between them – held out by Rey in a gesture of respect and hope. It’s such a significant moment in…
Structuring thought and imagination brick by brick, Lego is more than child’s play By Sondra Bacharach You might think Lego is just a kids’ toy – one you played with as a child and now step on as you walk through the house as a parent. These days, however, the bricks are showing up in all…
Review of Lego and Philosophy As a part of the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series the book adheres to a no-nonsense editorial style that favours legibility and accessibility; a rare thing in a field such as philosophy, which often excludes the casual reader. Each of the studies here allows the philosophically uninitiated to…
In Space, Can Anyone Hear Your Philosophy? A Look at Alien and Philosophy with Editor/Contributor Jeffrey Ewing By M.B. Sutherland One measure of a good story is how much time you spend thinking about it after it ends. Does it make you wonder what the characters were thinking? What motivated them? Does it make…
The Sound of Psychos Clowns and Chaos in American Horror Story Andrea Zanin “The clown is a creature of chaos. His appearance is an affront to our sense of dignity, his actions a mockery of our sense of order.” – Tom Robbins In American Horror Story: Hotel, John Wayne Gacy shows his face in…
Fullmetal Alchemist and Personal Identity By Darian Shump “I kill, therefore I am.” – Barry the Chopper (FMA: Brotherhood, Episode 8: The Fifth Laboratory) In Episode 7 (“Hidden Truths”) of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the Elric brothers infiltrate an abandoned government complex they suspect was used to conduct experiments on condemned prisoners in an…
Wonder Woman, Guns, and The Problem of Evil By Edwardo Pérez In 2017’s Wonder Woman, we get Princess Diana’s origin story – part Batman (people she loves are killed and she wants payback), part Superman (she’s a gift to humanity sent to protect us), and part, well, Wonder Woman. She’s not only able to pick…
Review of Lego and Philosophy All in all, it’s not just another brick in the toy chest. At least that’s the conclusion you might reach after reading a new book coedited by University of Minnesota philosophy professor Roy T. Cook titled “LEGO and Philosophy: Constructing Reality Brick by Brick.” Cook and co-editor Sondra Bacharach, a…
Matthew Westfox I was excited to read Wonder Woman and Philosophy: The Amazonian Mystique because it promised the chance to dive neck deep into that conversations. It did not disappoint. It is fitting for a character who has spoken in so many different voices over the years, that this book is a collection of essays by…
How We Remain Free Why Kingdom Come is More Relevant than Ever by Armond Boudreaux A Book for Today Superhero comics have always reflected upon the values, beliefs, aspirations, and fears of our culture. Since the beginning they’ve commented upon what it means to be human and spoken to the particular problems of our times.…
The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series 