Cowboy Metaphysics: Ethics and Death in Westerns / Edition 1

by Peter A. French Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Arizona State University

Overview

For many of us, the image of the cowboy hero facing off against the villain dominates our memories of the movies. Peter French examines the world of the western, one in which death is annihilation, the culmination of life, and there is nothing else. In that world he finds alternatives to Judeo-Christian traditions that dominate our ethical theories, alternatives that also attack the views of the most prominent ethicists of the past three centuries. More than just a meditation on the portrayal of the good, the bad, and the ugly on the big screen, French's work identifies an attitude toward life that he claims is one of the most distinctive and enduring elements of American culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780847686711
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/23/1997
Series:	Studies in Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.96(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

Peter A. French holds the Cole Chair in Ethics and is professor of philosophy at the University of South Florida. He is the cofounder and senior editor of Midwest Studies in Philosophy and editor of The Journal of Social Philosophy.

Editorial Reviews

Imaginative and careful. The easy reading and close attention to theoretical nuance recommend this book to a variety of audiences.

Brannon Wheeler

French does a skillfully illustrated and philosphically sophisticated job. This is a book about which you should give a damn.

Choice Reviews - J.H. Baker

An important book.. .. I am looking forward to Peter French's subsequent work. I hope it will be as thought provoking and interesting as Cowboy Metaphysics, a book I recommend for undergraduate classes in ethics and film.

APA Newsletter on Teaching Philosophy - Joe Givvin

An important book. . . . I am looking forward to Peter French's subsequent work. I hope it will be as thought provoking and interesting as Cowboy Metaphysics, a book I recommend for undergraduate classes in ethics and film.
— Joe Givvin, Mount Mercy College

Teaching Philosophy

Imaginative and careful. The easy reading and close attention to theoretical nuance recommend this book to a variety of audiences.
— Brannon Wheeler, University of Washington

Religious Studies Review