Dean A. Kowalski 
Classic Questions and Contemporary Film 
An Introduction to Philosophy

Featuring significant revisions and updates, Classic Questions and Contemporary Film: An Introduction to Philosophy, 2nd Edition uses popular movies as a highly accessible framework for introducing key philosophical concepts

* Explores 28 films with 18 new to this edition, including Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Hotel Rwanda, V for Vendetta, and Memento

* Discusses numerous philosophical issues not covered in the first edition, including a new chapter covering issues of personal identity, the meaningfulness of life and death, and existentialism

* Offers a rich pedagogical framework comprised of key classic readings, chapter learning outcomes, jargon-free argument analysis, critical thinking and trivia questions, a glossary of terms, and textboxes with notes on the movies discussed

* Revised to be even more accessible to beginning philosophers

Table of Content

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xii

About the Website xiii

Philosophy, Rhetoric, and Argument 1

1.1 Historical Setting: Plato, Gorgias 2

1.2 Discussion and Analysis 6

1.3 Films 23

Thank You for Smoking (2005) 23

Minority Report (2002) 27

The Emperor’s Club (2002) 31

1.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 34

Epistemology and Skepticism 37

2.1 Historical Setting: Descartes, Meditations I and II 38

2.2 Discussion and Analysis 44

2.3 Films 59

The Matrix (1999) 59

Inception (2010) 62

Vanilla Sky (2001) 66

2.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 69

God, Creation, and Evil 71

3.1 Historical Setting: Paley, The Argument from Design 72

3.2 Discussion and Analysis 74

3.3 Films 91

Bruce Almighty (2003) 91

Creation (2009) 94

Schindler’s List (1993) 98

3.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 101

Freedom, Fate, and Determinism 104

4.1 Historical Setting: D’Holbach, System of Nature 105

4.2 Discussion and Analysis 109

4.3 Films 121

The Adjustment Bureau (2011) 121

Gattaca (1997) 124

Run, Lola, Run (1998) 128

4.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 132

Mind, Body, and Consciousness 134

5.1 Historical Setting: Descartes, Meditation VI 135

5.2 Discussion and Analysis 138

5.3 Films 156

Being John Malkovich (1999) 156

Bicentennial Man (1999) 159

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 163

5.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 166

Ethical Foundations and Moral Truth 169

6.1 Historical Setting: Sumner, Folkways 170

6.2 Discussion and Analysis 173

6.3 Films 190

Hotel Rwanda (2004) 190

Frailty (2001) 194

The Cider House Rules (1999) 197

6.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 200

Ethics and Values 203

7.1 Historical Setting: Reid, Of the First Principles of Morals 204

7.2 Discussion and Analysis 208

7.3 Films 221

Saving Private Ryan (1998) 221

Horton Hears a Who! (2008) 225

Groundhog Day (1993) 228

7.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 232

The State, Social Contracts, and Justice 235

8.1 Historical Setting: Hobbes, Leviathan 236

8.2 Discussion and Analysis 240

8.3 Films 256

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005) 256

V for Vendetta (2005) 259

Serenity (2005) 263

8.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 266

The Human Condition 269

9.1 H istorical Setting: Russell, The Value of Philosophy 270

9.2 Discussion and Analysis 273

9.3 Films 288

Memento (2000) 288

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) 292

Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) 296

9.4 Synthesis, Review, and Going Forward 299

Appendix

A.1 A Deductive Logic Primer 302

A.2 Film 312

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974) 312

Glossary 316

Index 323

About the author

Dean A. Kowalski is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha. He is the author of Classic Questions and Contemporary Film (2005) and Moral Theory at the Movies (2012). He is the editor of Steven Spielberg and Philosophy (2008), The Philosophy of The X-Files (2009), and The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy (Wiley, 2012), and the coeditor of The Philosophy of Joss Whedon (2011).