The Rhetoric of War in The 100 Edwardo Pérez “War is here,” sputters a barely alive Octavia to Clarke toward the beginning of Season Four’s fifth episode “The Tinder Box.” Unfazed (just another day on the ground), Clarke begins ordering people around like the seasoned general she’s become – focused, slightly emotionally detached, and always…
When Chance Took Us to Church The Problem with (White) Liberal Neutrality By Matthew William Brake Did you watch the Grammys last week? Yeah, me neither, but I heard about them the next day. One of the main stories to come out of the Grammys was Chance the Rapper’s performance of various Christian worship songs…
“Sorcery”? “Science”? Magic and Spirit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Armond Boudreaux One of the most interesting developments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its inception almost ten years ago has come, not in an Avengers or an Iron Man film, but in a television show and in a movie based on one of…
The Politics of Nick Spencer’s Captain America by Armond Boudreaux Nick Spencer’s Captain America books (Captain America: Sam Wilson and Captain America: Steve Rogers) have been some of the most politically-charged comics that we’ve seen in a long time. Spencer is clearly influenced and inspired by the Captain America comics of the 1970s and…
Rogue One and a Philosophy of Hope By Matthew William Brake After enduring years of crappy prequels, Star Wars fans have now received not one, but two good Star Wars movies since Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm. While I liked The Force Awakens, the Honest Trailer for the movie voices all of my criticisms of that…
Nine Inch Nails and Boethius Aren’t the Actual Events By Ashley Whitaker In The Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius laments his unjust imprisonment, but Lady Philosophy attempts to comfort him with a stern reminder that she has remained carefully beside him. No matter what else he is deprived of, Boethius cannot be stopped from philosophizing. Like…
Zootopia, Black Lives Matter, and Class Struggle Matthew William Brake 2016 is an important anniversary date. It marks 500 years since the 1516 release of Thomas More’s Utopia (or as its known by its full title, On the Best State of a Commonwealth and on the New Island of Utopia: A Truly Golden Handbook, No…
Call for Abstracts Westworld and Philosophy Edited by Susanne E. Foster and James B. South 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 you have comments or criticisms for…
Coming Home from War and Metallica’s “Confusion” By William Irwin (originally published at Psychologytoday.com) Life is war. It’s a common metaphor. In fact, I thought it was the theme of Metallica’s new song “Confusion” when I first heard it. The lyric that comes through most clearly is “My life, the war that never ends.” Listening…
Would Kierkegaard Like Katniss Everdeen? Matthew William Brake Initially, I wasn’t a fan of the Hunger Games. The first time I heard about the series was from a friend (Hi Emma!) who read the books based on a recommendation from someone else. When the first movie came out, I didn’t go see it. I just…
The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series 