Lecture to merge philosophy and film
George Wilson will discuss the film "The Man Who Wasn't There"
Jessie Burch
Issue date: 3/5/10 Section: Scene
The "Philosophy of Film" class sounds like a complex and abstract study of what many consider a simple entertainment, but to Alex Balotskiy, a sophomore philosophy major and film studies minor, it's a topic of great interest.
"Unlike most philosophy, the philosophy of film is actually something that most people think about anyway - just maybe not in the terms of a philosopher," said Balotskiy.
He is in both the Philosophy of Film and the Senior Seminar, "Memento and Philosophy Through Film," which are both taught by Andrew Kania, professor of philosophy.
Kania has been involved in bringing George Wilson, philosopher of film and a professor of philosophy and cinematic arts at the University of Southern California, to campus next week.
Wilson's many publications include "Narration in Light" and "Le Grand Imagier Steps Out," the latter of which was read by the Philosophy of Film class.
On Tuesday, March 9, at 8 p.m., Wilson will be giving a lecture entitled, "Love and Bullshit in Santa Rosa: On the Coen Brothers' 'The Man Who Wasn't There,'" in Laurie Auditorium.
Wilson relates "The Man Who Wasn't There," a neo-noir film with something of a science fiction twist, complete with aliens and UFOs, to an essay by Princeton philosopher Harry Frankfurt, entitled, "On Bullshit," which explores the definition of bullshit.
"He's written on a whole range of films from the '40s up to contemporary stuff," said Kania." He doesn't specialize in the Coen Brothers, but I think he noticed an interesting aspect about this film, and it got him thinking."
The lecture, free and open to the public, will be followed by a reception and is part of the Stieren Arts Enrichment Series, funded by Jane and the late Arthur Stieren.
"Philosophy should play an important role in understanding what the arts are for and how they work," said Kania. "Many of the people we bring in are artists but are not explicitly theorists of the arts."
"Unlike most philosophy, the philosophy of film is actually something that most people think about anyway - just maybe not in the terms of a philosopher," said Balotskiy.
He is in both the Philosophy of Film and the Senior Seminar, "Memento and Philosophy Through Film," which are both taught by Andrew Kania, professor of philosophy.
Kania has been involved in bringing George Wilson, philosopher of film and a professor of philosophy and cinematic arts at the University of Southern California, to campus next week.
Wilson's many publications include "Narration in Light" and "Le Grand Imagier Steps Out," the latter of which was read by the Philosophy of Film class.
On Tuesday, March 9, at 8 p.m., Wilson will be giving a lecture entitled, "Love and Bullshit in Santa Rosa: On the Coen Brothers' 'The Man Who Wasn't There,'" in Laurie Auditorium.
Wilson relates "The Man Who Wasn't There," a neo-noir film with something of a science fiction twist, complete with aliens and UFOs, to an essay by Princeton philosopher Harry Frankfurt, entitled, "On Bullshit," which explores the definition of bullshit.
"He's written on a whole range of films from the '40s up to contemporary stuff," said Kania." He doesn't specialize in the Coen Brothers, but I think he noticed an interesting aspect about this film, and it got him thinking."
The lecture, free and open to the public, will be followed by a reception and is part of the Stieren Arts Enrichment Series, funded by Jane and the late Arthur Stieren.
"Philosophy should play an important role in understanding what the arts are for and how they work," said Kania. "Many of the people we bring in are artists but are not explicitly theorists of the arts."
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