Philosophy through Film

Mary M. Litch has taught Philosophy at Yale University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is currently Director of Academic Technology and Digital Media at Chapman University, where she also teaches Philosophy. Amy Karofsky teaches Philosophy at Hofstra University.

Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Truth Hilary and Jackie 2 Skepticism The Matrix and Inception 3 Personal Identity Memento and Moon 4 Artificial Intelligence I, Robot 5 Free Will, Determinism, and Moral Responsibility Memento and Minority Report 6 Ethics Crimes and Misdemeanors and Gone Baby Gone 7 Political Philosophy Antz and Equilibrium 8 The Problem of Evil The Seventh Seal and God on Trial 9 Existentialism The Seventh Seal, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Leaving Las Vegas Notes Appendix: Story Lines of Films by Elapsed Time Readings from Primary Sources Plato, "Allegory of the Cave" (from The Republic) Bertrand Russell, excerpts from The Problems of Philosophy William James, excerpts from Pragmatism: A New Way for Some Old Ways of Thinking René Descartes, "Meditation One" (from Meditations on First Philosophy) George Berkeley, excerpts from A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge John Locke, excerpts from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding David Hume, excerpts from A Treatise of Human Nature Alan Turing, excerpts from "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" John Searle, excerpts from "Minds, Brains, and Programs" David Hume, excerpts from An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Jean-Paul Sartre, excerpts from "Existentialism is a Humanism" Immanuel Kant, excerpts from Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals John Stuart Mill, excerpts from Utilitarianism Thomas Hobbes, excerpts from Leviathan John Stuart Mill, excerpts from On Liberty J. L. Mackie, excerpts from "Evil and Omnipotence" Augustine, excerpts from On Free Choice of the Will Albert Camus, "The Myth of Sisyphus" Index