Christopher Falzon

Ethics Goes to the Movies (eBook, PDF)

An Introduction to Moral Philosophy

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

Movies hold a mirror up to us, portraying the complexities of human reality through their characters and stories. And they vividly illustrate moral theories that address questions about how we are to live and what sort of people we ought to be. In this book, Christopher Falzon uses movies to provide a rich survey of moral positions as they have emerged through history. These include the ethics of the ancient world, medieval ethics, Enlightenment and Kantian ethics, existentialist ethics and the ethics of the other. Each theory is explained in detail, using a number of examples from the book's wide selection of movies. The discussion draws on a range of recent and not-so-recent films, from Hollywood blockbusters to art-house cinema.

Key Features:

• In addition to covering thinkers one would expect in an introduction to ethics (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, Kant), the book discusses less canonical figures in detail as well (e.g., Marcuse, Foucault, Habermas).
• Similarly, the book examines both major ethical theories (e.g., Kantianism, utilitarianism, virtue ethics) and theories too often glossed over in introductory texts (e.g. Stoicism, Epicureanism, Habermas's discourse ethics and Nietzschean ethics).
• A wide range of movies are discussed, from Hollywood blockbusters and classics like The Dark Knight, Casablanca and Dirty Harry to lesser known films, like Force Majeure and Under the Skin.
• Atthe end of each chapter a focus on two feature films is included, with a plot summary and interpretations of several key scenes with a time marker indicating when in the film the scenes occur.
• A Filmography includes all movies discussed in the book and a Glossary covers key philosophical terms and figures; both with corresponding page numbers.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Taylor & Francis eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 316
• Erscheinungstermin: 7. Dezember 2018
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781317383277
• Artikelnr.: 55072383

Autorenporträt

Christopher Falzon is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is the author of Foucault and Social Dialogue (1998) and Philosophy Goes to the Movies (3rd edition, 2014), and the co-editor of Foucault and Philosophy (2010) and A Blackwell Companion to Foucault (2013).

Inhaltsangabe

Acknowledgements
Introduction - Rear Window Ethics
What is ethics?
Film as experimental
Exploring ethics through film
Chapter 1. Excess and obsession - Ancient ethics
Why be moral
Plato's moral theory
Aristotle and virtue ethics
Stoicism
Epicureanism
Feature films: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and Under the Skin
Chapter 2. Sin and self-denial: Religious ethics
Divine command
Augustine
Aquinas and natural law
The problem of evil
Feature films: Crimes and Misdemeanors, and The Addiction
Chapter 3. Pleasure, happiness and rights: Enlightenment ethics
Hobbes and the social contract
Enlightenment and happiness
Utilitarianism
Rights
The libertine and scientific morality
Feature films: Dirty Harry, and The Dark Knight
Chapter 4. Personhood and autonomy: Kantian ethics
Duty and desire
Persons
Autonomy
Marx
Habermas and discourse ethics
Feature films: High Noon, and No Country for Old Men
Chapter 5. Slaves, supermen and authentic selves: Existentialist ethics
Nietzsche
Kierkegaard
Twentieth-century existentialism: Sartre et al.
The social situation: de Beauvoir
Feature films: Rope, and Fight Club
Chapter 6. Encounters with aliens: Ethics and the other
The critique of 'traditional' ethics
The ethics of care
Levinas and the ethics of the other
Foucault, ethics and power
Experiments in living
Feature films: Casablanca, and Force Majeure
Filmography
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

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Acknowledgements

Introduction - Rear Window Ethics



What is ethics?

Film as experimental

Exploring ethics through film



Chapter 1. Excess and obsession - Ancient ethics



Why be moral

Plato's moral theory

Aristotle and virtue ethics

Stoicism

Epicureanism



Feature films: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and Under the Skin





Chapter 2. Sin and self-denial: Religious ethics



Divine command

Augustine

Aquinas and natural law

The problem of evil



Feature films: Crimes and Misdemeanors, and The Addiction





Chapter 3. Pleasure, happiness and rights: Enlightenment ethics



Hobbes and the social contract

Enlightenment and happiness

Utilitarianism

Rights

The libertine and scientific morality



Feature films: Dirty Harry, and The Dark Knight





Chapter 4. Personhood and autonomy: Kantian ethics



Duty and desire

Persons

Autonomy

Marx

Habermas and discourse ethics



Feature films: High Noon, and No Country for Old Men





Chapter 5. Slaves, supermen and authentic selves: Existentialist ethics



Nietzsche

Kierkegaard

Twentieth-century existentialism: Sartre et al.

The social situation: de Beauvoir



Feature films: Rope, and Fight Club





Chapter 6. Encounters with aliens: Ethics and the other



The critique of 'traditional' ethics

The ethics of care

Levinas and the ethics of the other

Foucault, ethics and power

Experiments in living



Feature films: Casablanca, and Force Majeure



Filmography

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

Rezensionen

'Christopher Falzon has written another exemplary book, which makes an important contribution to introducing students and the general public to the basic areas of ethical theory. His vast knowledge of films, from the silent era to the present day, provides an accessible way to engage the reader and clarify moral dilemmas.'



-Timothy J. Madigan, St John Fisher College, USA