Category Archives: Filmosophy
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!
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
Plato’s Cave and the Cinema
In his Cave Allegory (Republic, c.360 BCE), Plato presents a strikingly visual account of the distinction between knowledge and belief and, in doing so, provides us with what may be … Continue reading
Morality and Blindness in Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors
Why should we act morally? Why should we ‘do the right thing’ if we could do the wrong thing and get away with it? Imagine a situation where you find … Continue reading
Examined Life: philosophy in the streets
Astra Taylor’s Examined Life may just appear to be just another philosophy documentary (not that there are nearly enough of them). What I mean by this is that we may be … Continue reading
Dogtooth
Dogtooth (Kynodontas) is the third feature directed by Giorgas Lanthimos. Released in 2009, it received international acclaim, winning the Prix Un Certain Regard at Cannes before being nominated for the … Continue reading
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Imagine a procedure whereby you could rid yourself of troubling memories. Suppose that you could have particular people or traumatic events erased from your mind. This is the basis for … Continue reading
Marx and Modern Times
Chaplin’s Modern Times (1936) provides a striking illustration of Marx’s theory of Alienation. Modern Times opens with a shot of a clock-face, the second-hand rushing towards 6 (am we suppose) and determining the … Continue reading
Abre los ojos (Open your eyes)
The arguments of French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) have had an enormous impact on philosophy. In what follows, Descartes arguments will be examined through the contemporary viewfinder of Alejandro Amenábar’s Abre … Continue reading
