Philosophy goes to the Movies [Hardcover]

Christopher Falzon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415237408 | ISBN-13: 978-0415237406 | Publication Date: March 29, 2002

Philosophy goes to the Movies is a new kind of introduction to philosophy that makes use of movies including The Matrix, Antz, Total Recall and Cinema Paradiso, to explore philosophical ideas.
Topics covered include:
*the theory of knowledge
*the self and personal Identity
*moral philosophy
*social and political philosophy
*philosophy of science and technology
*critical thinking.
Ideal for the beginner, this book guides the student through philosophy using lively and illuminating cinematic examples. It will also appeal to anyone interested in the philosophical dimensions of cinema.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[Falzon's] book is a sober discussion of a wider range of themes and thinkers than many introductory texts and he does not oversimplify, abridge or distort unnecessarily. Reading this book requires the thought and effort characteristic of doing philosophy. Its range of reference to films, seamlessly integrated with his arguments, will also challenge any but the most serious cinephile.
–Simon Phillips, smh.com.au

No longer do students of philosophy have to fear dry texts filled with unreadable sentences from the masters of thought. Philosophy Goes to the Movies introduces philosophy through film... Given the importance of the visual and powerful new movies, we can only look forward to more books like Falzon's.
–THES

Christopher Falzon, a philosopher at the University of Newcastle, has written what seems to me, overall, an admirable introduction to philosophy. His selection of philosophical themes is balanced and judicious, and his presentation is unusually lucid and economical.
–Australian Book Review

About the Author

Christopher Falzon is lecturer of Philosophy at Newcastle University, Australia. He is the author of Foucault and Social Dialogue

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (March 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415237408
• ISBN-13: 978-0415237406
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,875,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars movies go to philosophy, December 28, 2008

By 

Steversurryhne (san francisco ca usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Philosophy goes to the Movies (Paperback)

Christopher Falzon's Philosophy Goes to the Movies, is, at it is billed, an introduction to philosophy, not philosophy of cinema or film theory.
Falzon's text is an excellent primer on basic philosphical issues in the
Western philosophical tradition. Various, mostly fairly recent films, pre-2005, are utilized for examples of points touched on in the philosophical commentary. I especially like Falzon's chapter on social and political philosophy, developing from a discussion of Marxist theory to a concise and accessible discussion of the ideas of Michel Foucault. Falzon demonstrates the Marxist context for much of Foucault's thought, and how Foucault goes beyond Marx in his analysis of regimes of power. This is a good primer, I would use it in a class in which I wanted to inroduce to undergraduates the relevance of philosophical thought to media and the arts. It may disappoint those looking for cinema studies, with a focus on some aspect of film, as the movie sequences referred to are primarily examples & illustrations.