Catalog Search Results
Pub. Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
In Paris during 1890, 104-year-old Georges Bonnet is a sculptor who maintains a youthful appearance by regularly murdering women and using their parathyroid glands as an elixir to ward off the signs of age. When Bonnet requires a vital surgery to be undertaken he asks his old colleague Prof. Ludwig Weiss to perform it. He declines and Bonnet then blackmails Pierre Gerard into performing the operation by endangering the life of Janine Dubois, a young...
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Open this lecture with a look at how and why we get scientific information from experts and why what we should conclude about climate change is as much of a philosophical issue as it is a scientific one. Then, through the film Snowpiercer, take a look at how a lukewarm approach to pressing issues can create narratives of false security and cast doubt on real dangers that will have consequences.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
See how the 2016 film Arrival can help you examine the three questions that arise when discussing the possibility of alien life in the universe: How likely would a visitation be? What effect on society would it have? And, particularly pertinent to the film, would we be able to communicate with them once they're here?
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
What can quantum mechanics tell us about the likelihood of alternate worlds? Explore the multiverse theory with Lieutenant Worf in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Parallels" and see how science could support the idea of multiple worlds, while also grappling with the seeming untestable nature of such a theory.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Begin your journey with a look at why science fiction is one of the primary ways contemporary society engages with philosophical issues. Get an overview of the kinds of sci-fi media you will explore throughout the course and explore how you will address the interpretation of art with a look at the film Inception.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
The original Star Wars trilogy is not morally ambiguous, but many other entries in the franchise present complicated gray areas when it comes to good versus evil. Professor Johnson demonstrates how the 21st-century films in the series, especially Rogue One, create a more complicated view of morality - and what Nietzsche can tell us about space politics.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Though panned by critics and science fiction fans alike, upon first release, the two sequels that followed The Matrix - Reloaded and Revolutions, respectively - provide surprisingly fertile ground for philosophical investigation surrounding the existence of free will. Compare multiple theories and see whether these oft-derided films can offer any answers.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Explore the concept of individual fate through the film The Adjustment Bureau and the larger concept of universal fate in Star Wars. Along the way, take a look at the ways conspiracy theories and supernatural claims invoke "fate" to explain real-world happenings and how philosophers handle these "explanations."
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Science fiction has always been fascinated by the possibilities of artificial intelligence, with many storytellers focusing on the dangers of sentient machines. But human predictions of the future are often inaccurate, so here you will explore arguments both for and against the creation of AI through the film Transcendence, as well as through other iconic stories.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Sentient machines have been a staple of sci-fi for decades. Focus on a few key stories, and take a look at the long history of intelligent machines in film and TV - as well as get a glimpse into our very possible future - examining the ways we conceive of the mind and the implications of artificial intelligence. Machines can calculate, but could they one day be sentient?
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
The television adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale offers a grim vision of a future in which religious fanaticism reshapes the US into a misogynist totalitarian state. Professor Johnson provides a brief overview of the meaning(s) and different stages of feminism in the 20th century and examines what the disenfranchisement of women says about the uses and abuses of power.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
What is the likelihood that we are living in a simulated world right now? Some philosophers, using laws of subjective probability, would say it may actually be much higher than you might think. Examine the film The Thirteenth Floor and understand how creating a convincing simulated world could alter our conception of reality itself.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Dive into the ethical questions of "designer babies," genetic manipulation, and human evolution at the heart of the movie Gattaca, a film which NASA once considered one of the most plausible sci-fi films ever made. Then, turn your attention to a similar issue as you explore the philosophical and scientific ins and outs of cloning, via the Canadian TV show Orphan Black.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
What can science fiction tell us about the dangers of colonialism and moral relativism? Take a look at the Prime Directive and the ethical ramifications of imposing one society's values on another, as you plunge into several episodes from different iterations of Star Trek, including the classic series of the 1960s, The Next Generation, and Enterprise.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Analyze one of the most famous - and possibly weirdest - sci-fi films of all time: 2001: A Space Odyssey. Consider the imagery and ideas of Kubrick's vision and determine whether, as some suggest, it reflects the concept of Friedrich Nietzsche's Übermensch. Close with a brief glimpse of the science fiction worlds still waiting for you to explore them.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Join Professor of Philosophy David Kyle Johnson, of King’s College, on a 24-lecture exploration of the final frontiers of philosophy across several decades of science fiction in film and television. See how science fiction allows us to consider immense, vital - and sometimes controversial - ideas with a rare combination of engagement and critical distance.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
The pervasive influence of social media makes life feel more performative than ever, yet it really just demonstrates an old dilemma heightened by new technology. Here, see how the anthology show Black Mirror and the Star Trek-influenced series The Orville offer episodes that examine extreme cases of objectification and mob mentality.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Many science fiction stories revolve around scrappy, sympathetic rebels and the overthrow of oppressive government powers. Here, look at how two series - Blake's 7 and Firefly - take similar approaches to the experience of political oppression and individual defiance. Consider the implications of dissent within society and contemplate the perpetual dilemma of balancing freedom and social order.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Which will you choose, the red pill or the blue? Look at different ideas concerning truth, knowledge, and reality through the film The Matrix, from Plato's definition of knowledge to the theories of Jean Baudrillard. Also, grasp the important distinctions between epistemology and metaphysics.
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Science communicator Carl Sagan believed science and religion could be compatible. But does Contact, the film based on his novel, prove his point or undermine it? Probe the many ways humans use personal experience to justify belief and whether or not such experiences can justify belief in the face of contrary scientific evidence.
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