The Philosophy of the Alien Films: Interview with Jeffrey A. Ewing by Ray Blank Released in 1979, Ridley Scott’s Alien combined H.R. Giger’s disturbing aesthetics with a tremendous cast, most of whom were viciously slaughtered before the film was done. Alien pulled off the trick of adding new ingredients to a rich tradition in storytelling, reimagining a classic horror scenario…
What Video Games can Teach us about Philosophy Philosophers have long used thought experiments to explore ethical dilemmas. But now video games are allowing us to act out these scenarios, writes Jordan Erica Webber. Read the whole article here.
Sophie’s Other Choices Edwardo Pérez NPR’s “Think” podcast recently featured Binghamton University philosophy professor Lisa Tessman discussing “Impossible Moral Dilemmas” and I just happened to tune in as a caller to the program asked about the film Sophie’s Choice. Full disclosure: I’ve always avoided seeing that movie because its premise was so horrifying to me,…
Nietzschean Revenge in Game of Thrones Edwardo Pérez “If given the opportunity, what do we do to those who hurt the ones we love?” While Lord Petyr Baelish (also known as Littlefinger) posed this question to Sansa in the fourth season of HBO’s Game of Thrones (in the episode titled “Mockingbird”), it’s a perfect summation…
The Guilt of Being Someone Daredevil and Martin Heidegger By Sam Bennett and Matthew William Brake Deeply influenced by his Catholic faith, Matthew Murdock — aka Daredevil — is one of the more explicitly religious superheroes in mainstream comic books. The first season of the Netflix series Daredevil begins with Matt in a confessional, asking…
Wonder Woman and Feminism By Sarah Donovan When I saw the Wonder Woman (2017) film, I felt ambivalent. I have had the opportunity to apply different philosophical lenses to analyze superheroes as a contributor to the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, so I wondered if I could dodge the topic of Wonder Woman and feminism in this post. But every…
Free Market Fight Club by William Irwin I am Jack’s being-for-itself. I consider myself a free market existentialist. As an existentialist, I believe in individual freedom and responsibility. I believe that we get to define ourselves, if we’re willing to make the effort. As Tyler Durden says in Fight Club, “We are defined by the choices we…
A new review from Starburst Magazine says, “Wonder Woman and Philosophy proves to be an interesting read whether you are well versed in her comic history or not. It manages to explore deep philosophical thinking without losing readers who may be new to the theories debated. For anyone interested in the greater implications of Wonder…
Wonder Woman, Schopenhauer, and Compassion It’s not about What They Deserve Jacob M. Held “It’s not about what they deserve. It’s about what you believe.” Exactly! It is difficult to be a “yes-sayer” in a world of war, refugees, famine, murder, and so much human, all too human ugliness. But amidst all the pain and…
The Epistemology of “Pretty Little Liars” by Victoria Lavorerio Pretty Little Liars has been crowned the most-tweeted show on television, and its general presence in social media is impressive. If you’ve never seen the show, you may think that these feats are probably due to its mostly millennial audience. But if you have watched at…
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