Author Archives: James Mooney
Metaphysics – the problem of Free Will
One of the major sub-fields of philosophy is Metaphysics. It is difficult to define exactly what metaphysics is; it began as the search for first causes or the study of … Continue reading
Examined Life – Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor
In Examined Life, Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor explore what it means to ‘take a walk’ in the mission district of San Francisco. One of the most fascinating parts of the … Continue reading
The Problem of Evil in Film
The standard philosophical definition of God is that He is: omnipotent (all powerful); omniscient (all knowing), and; benevolent (perfectly good). However, the ‘problem of evil’ seems to entail that the existence … Continue reading
Michael H. Profession: Director
Over the last 25 years, Michael Haneke has established himself as one of the most important directors in cinema history. From his early work to Amour, he has explored some … Continue reading
The Black Hole: metaphysics and greed
The Black Hole (Phil and Olly, 2008) - a short, but perfectly formed, exploration of metaphysics and greed. Enjoy!
Monty Python’s Argument clinic
The boys from Monty Python do it again. In philosophy, an argument isn’t just contradiction, it’s “a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition”. The series of statements … Continue reading
The Bicycle Thieves and Italian Neorealism
From the early days of cinema (late nineteenth/ early twentieth century) through the 1960s, theories of film tended to divide into the opposing camps of Formalism and Realism. Formalists emphasized … Continue reading
John Stuart Mill: the Harm Principle
Mill’s aim The subject of this essay is . . . the nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual . . … Continue reading
Peter Singer on our obligation to alleviate suffering
Karl Marx stated, ‘the philosophers have merely interpreted the world in various ways. The point, however, is to change it’. Marx’s sentiment is, I think, shared by many; philosophy can be seen to … Continue reading
Genre
Frequently, people choose to go to the movies to see a certain type of film. Popular genres include: action; comedy; western; science-fiction; horror, and; musical. Genres are used by industry … Continue reading
Political Philosophy
In 399 BC, when he was over seventy, Socrates was accused before the Athenian assembly of impiety and corrupting the young, and was sentenced to death. Plato, in his Crito dialogue, presents … Continue reading
