Philosophy & Film

Discuss determinism and free will, appearance, and reality in "The Truman Show"

According to Determinism, Truman is free but he is free to a certain extent. Determinism believes that free action is an act caused by an agent. In this case, the agent would be Christof. He basically controls his life, whatever he does, whoever he meets, whatever he eats and etc. You are free but you are limited. For example, you have the right to choose what you eat but the options are limited and depends on Christof. Whatever he decides to give you is what you have from. As Determinism would say that every event has a cause even though Truman might act differently in a certain way, his actions are still free.

Compare and contrast Plato and Aristotle on the notion of form. Relate the allegory of the cave to the simile of the line. How do they show the platonic aesthetic

Aristotle believed that for something to be real it had to have a substance and a form or a body and a soul. Aristotle found no difference between matter and form, relying on nature to explain itself. Conversely, Plato believed reality is permanent and our sense cannot be trusted. Plato maintained that there is a world of ideal forms, as we see material reflections of perfect forms. In regards to the allegory of the cave, people were shown puppets of real objects, which they perceived as their reality. When one went outside in the real world, they discovered that was their actual reality. In Plato's simile of the line, he creates a line from A to E where A to C represents the visible world and C to E represents the intelligible world. If aesthetics is the philosophical inquiry into art and beauty, the striking feature of Plato's dialogues is that he devotes as much time as he does to both topics and yet treats them oppositely.

Give examples of "Deus ex Machina." Can this solution be effective?

Deus ex Machina is a character or event that seems to exist just to effortlessly solve a problem that seems unsolvable. Some examples are Cinderella's fairy godmother, "true love's kiss", the "it was all a dream" ending, and resurrection of the dead. This can be effective because it can tie up any lose ends and can save a protagonist.

Describe Aristotelian epistemology and relate it to aesthetics

Epistemology examines the nature of knowledge and how one can acquire it. Aesthetics examines the theory of beauty. These two are related because they both examine a different way to examine the world, and whose coexisting is needed to live a full life.

Describe a film in terms of Aristotelian epistemology and categories

Epistemology examines the nature of knowledge and how one can acquire it. In the movie The Truman Show, the main character has been unknowingly living his whole life in a television show. Throughout the movie, he comes to discover that nothing in his world is real. His acquiring of this knowledge relates back to Aristotelian epistemology. Also, The Truman show open up the possibility of levels of truth, because it is a show within a show.

Compare and Contrast Descartes and Hume

For Descartes, each person contains the criteria for truth and knowledge in them. Hume wanted to explain knowledge and believed that a priori ideas did not exist and that our ideas are not innate but derived.

What is Metaphysics and how might we understand it better through film

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and space. Films allow viewers to grasp Metaphysics better because it enables viewers to be able to understand these abstract concepts better.

What are the main subjects in Philosophy? How are they revealed in film?

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. They are revealed in film because they are the fundamental plot of every movie with a message

Whether and to what extent is Plato on women reflected in film?

Plato believes that men and women are equals because they are the same in nature, but this is not always represented in films. Often times films are shot from "the male view." This can result in women being objectified in some films today.

Relate The Truman Show to the Allegory of the cave

So in the Truman Show, Truman does not know the difference between his reality and real reality. In fact, he is in a show and nothing in his life is real. In the allegory of the cave, people are shown puppets of what they believe is reality. When they go outside, they discover what actual reality is. Therefore in both, the people discover that their realities were never the true realities

What is the difference between perception and reality in the Matrix?

The Matrix explores the idea that our version of reality is not true, and that there is another reality. That it is only when you awaken your mind that you discover that what you thought was true is in fact false.

Do you think film has an impact comparable to the many changes in the Renaissance?

The Renaissance had a snowball effect where each new intellectual advance paved the way for further advancements. Film can have an impact comparable to the many changes in the Renaissance because film is constantly evolving to keep up with society.

What are six contemporary concepts of film analysis? How do you see them applied

The six contemporary concepts of film analysis are initial alienation from the ordinary world, the divided self, internal dialogue, the metaphor of the circular journey, the hope of reconciliation with society and the external world, and the wish to achieve inner peace, clear vision, and psychical harmony. These concepts are most present in The Truman Show. For example, Truman is literally alienated from the ordinary world, which leads to his divided self. He is unsure of his reality due to his internal monologue of whether his reality is true or not. Finally he has hopes to reconcile with society and the external world. He also wishes to achieve inner peace by leaving the made up reality he was living in

What are the six element of a good play for Aristotle? How do they relate to his four fundamental causes?

The six elements are plot, character, thought, diction, music, and spectacle. The four main causes are material, form, efficient, and cause. The six elements relate to the four main causes because you cannot have one without the other, especially in movies. For instance, you cannot develop a plot without having a cause.

Explain a film using the six elements with formal and psychological critiques

The six elements are plot, character, thought, diction, music, and spectacle. The plot of The Matrix is people having trouble finding the difference between virtual and actual reality. This is a perfect example of psychological critique because psychological criticism examines the inner workings of the human mind. Throughout the movie, characters like Neo, Agent Smith, The Oracle, and more have to make different decisions. When it comes to Neo, he has to decide whether to take the blue or red pill.

Explain the aims of Philosophy through Film

There are 25 aims of philosophy and film, three of them are truth, Socrates, and delight. Socrates wanted answers, and because of this he is the first clear exponent of critical philosophy. Truth is most often used to mean being in accord with fact or reality; when it comes to philosophy through film, truth can be distorted. Delight is used to entertain an audience and hold their attention and interest.