Steven Spielberg and Philosophy: We're Gonna Need a Bigger Book

by Dean A. Kowalski (Editor)

Overview

“This lively collection of essays on the ideas underpinning his films enriches and enlarges our understanding of Spielberg’s complex body of work.” —Joseph McBride, author of Steven Spielberg: A Biography

Few directors have had as powerful an influence on the film industry and the movie-going public as Steven Spielberg. Whatever the subject—dinosaurs, war, extra-terrestrials, slavery, the Holocaust, or terrorism—one clear and consistent touchstone is present in all of Spielberg’s films: an interest in the human condition. In movies ranging from Jaws to Schindler’s List to Amistad to Jurassic Park, he has brought to life some of the most popular heroes—and most despised villains—of all time.
 
In Steven Spielberg and Philosophy, Dean A. Kowalski and some of the nation’s most respected philosophers investigate Spielberg’s art to illuminate the nature of humanity. The book explores rich themes such as cinematic realism, fictional belief, terrorism, family ethics, consciousness, virtue and moral character, human rights, and religion in Spielberg’s work. Avid moviegoers and deep thinkers will discover plenty to enjoy in this collection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813138701
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	07/07/2020
Series:	The Philosophy of Popular Culture
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Dean A. Kowalski is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha. He is editor of The Philosophy of The X-Files and author of Classic Questions and Contemporary Film: An Introduction to Philosophy.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction Dean A. Kowalski 1

Part I Philosophy, the Filmmaker, and the Human Condition

The "Big-Little" Film and Philosophy: Two Takes on Spielbergian Innocence Gary Arms Thomas Riley 7

The Recovery of Childhood and the Search for the Absent Father Michel Le Gall Charles Taliaferro 38

Levinasian Ethics of Alterity: The Face of the Other in Spielberg's Cinematic Language John W. Wright 50

The Paradox of Fictional Belief and Its Moral Implications in Jaws Christopher R. Trogan Dean A. Kowalski 69

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and the Tragic Sense of Life Timothy Dunn 82

Part II Values, Virtue, and Justice

What Is Wrong with Cloning a Dinosaur? Jurassic Park and Nature as a Source of Moral Authority James H. Spence 97

Is Oskar Schindler a Good Man? Roger P. Ebertz 112

A Spielbergian Ethics of the Family in Saving Private Ryan and The Color Purple Robert R. Clewis 129

Human Rights, Human Nature, and Amistad David Baggett Mark W. Foreman 150

Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and "The Story of What Happens Next" in Munich Joseph J. Foy 170

Part III Realism, Mind, and Metaphysics

Spielberg and Cinematic Realism Keith Dromm 191

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence: Artistic Indulgence or Advanced Inquiry? V. Alan White 210

Minority Report, Molinism, and the Viability of Precrime Dean A. Kowalski 227

Appendix: Discussing Five Spielberg Films 248

Contributors 267

Index 271

Editorial Reviews

"In a sure sign that Steven Spielberg has finally been accepted into the academic canon after many years of being unfairly disparaged as a superficial entertainer, his films have now become the subject of passionate philosophical inquiry and debate. This lively collection of essays on the ideas underpinning his films enriches and enlarges our understanding of Spielberg's complex body of work."—Joseph McBride, author of Steven Spielberg: A Biography

From the Publisher