American auteur Jeffrey Jacob ‘J. J.’ Abrams’s genius for creating densely plotted scripts has won him broad commercial and critical success in TV shows such as Felicity (1998–2002), Emmy-nominated Alias (2001–2006), Emmy and Golden Globe-winning Lost (2004–2010), and the critically acclaimed Fringe (2008–2013). In addition, his direction in films such as Cloverfield (2008), Super 8 (2011), and the new Mission Impossible and Star Trek films has left fans eagerly awaiting his revival of the Star Wars franchise. As a writer, director, producer, and composer, Abrams seamlessly combines geek appeal with blockbuster intuition, leaving a distinctive stamp on all of his work and establishing him as one of Tinsel Town’s most influential visionaries.
In The Philosophy of J.J. Abrams, editors Patricia L. Brace and Robert Arp assemble the first collection of essays to highlight the philosophical insights of the Hollywood giant’s successful career. The filmmaker addresses a diverse range of themes in his onscreen pursuits, including such issues as personal identity in an increasingly impersonal digitized world, the morality of terrorism, bioethics, friendship, family obligation, and free will.
Utilizing Abrams’s scope of work as a touchstone, this comprehensive volume is a guide for fans as well as students of film, media, and culture. The Philosophy of J.J. Abrams is a significant contribution to popular culture scholarship, drawing attention to the mind behind some of the most provocative television and movie plots of our day.
Table of Content
Grey Matters: Personal Identity in the Fringe Universe(s)
Person of Interest: The Machine, Gilles Deleuze, and a Thousand Plateaus of Identity
Are J.J. Abrams’ Leading Ladies Really Feminist Role Models?
The End Is Nigh: Armageddon and the Meaning of Life Found Through Death
The Fear of Bones: On the Dread of Space and Death
Do We All Need to Get Shot in the Head? Regarding Henry, Nicholas Wolterstorff, and Ethical Transformation
Fringe and If Science Can Do It, Then Science Ought To Do It
An Inconsistent Triad? Competing Ethics in Star Trek Into Darkness
The Monster and the Mensch
Abrams, Aristotle, and Alternate Worlds: Finding Friendship in the Final Frontier
Heroic Love and Its Inversion in the Parent-Child Relationship in Abrams’ Star Trek
You Can’t Choose Your Family: Impartial Morality and Personal Obligation in Alias
Is Abrams’ Star Trek a Star Trek Film?
Determinism, Free Will, and Moral Responsibility in Alias
Finding Directions by Indirection: The Island as a Blank Slate
You Can’t Change the Past: The Philosophy of Time Travel in Star Trek and Lost
Rabbit’s Feet, Hatches, and Monsters: Mysteries vs. Questions in J.J. Abrams’ Stories
Monsters of the World Unite! Cloverfield, Capital, and Ecological Crisis
Cloverfield, Super 8, and the Morality of Terrorism
A Place for Revolutions in Revolution? Marxism, Feminism, and the Monroe Republic
A Light in the Darkness: Ethical Reflections on Revolution
About the author
Robert Arp is the editor of South Park and Philosophy and coeditor of Philosophy of Biology.More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
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