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The Philosophy of Popular Culture
Philosophy of the X-Files
In The Philosophy of The X-Files, Dean A. Kowalski has gathered a remarkable cast of contributors to shed light on the philosophical mysteries of the television show The X-Files. With sections devoted to the show's credos, such as "The Truth Is Out There," individual characters, and specific episodes, The Philosophy of The X-Files illuminates the philosophical assumptions and presuppositions of the show as well as presents discussions through the show to help the reader better understand philosophy and philosophical inquiry.
314 pages, ebook
First published September 21, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 3, 2018
“At first, Scully is the hardheaded scientist. However, McKenna argues that the season 7 episode “all things” solidifies crucial changes in how Scully sees herself and understands the world around her. This, in turn, facilitates a discussion of contemporary philosophical ideas associated with feminism and pragmatism.” (...)
Due to the episode’s existentialist undertones, made explicit at its denouement, of “We are all alone,” …
In the Preface
--
“Special Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), a trained medical doctor who also studied physics in college, is the consummate scientist.” (...)
"The basic point of Mulder’s character in this regard is that we should be open to exploring “unexplained phenomena” via “extreme possibilities,…”
Dean A. Kowalski in the Introduction.
I cannot recall how many episodes I have watched of the X-files series. Years ago (some) I just sat and had another story to ponder as each episode was presented. I guess, each episode wouldn’t be (ever) a conclusive thing; it would leave most of the viewers pondering, left in that middle ground between unbelief (or disbelief) and belief, science and fiction. Yes, some “wanted to believe”. Some just didn’t.
(The X-files main theme song, won’t go away.)
Yet the episodes had something in common; a couple, Mulder and Scully, the FBI investigators who had quite different personalities and world-views; nevertheless, almost complementary.
“They are here among us”
MULDER
“They’ve been here for a long, long time”
(someone else)
"The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know"
Blaise Pascal
And speaking of belief, the reading of one the essays (“I Want to Believe”: William James and The X-Files by Keith Dromm) prompted me to read William James essay "The will to believe"(1896). In a nutshell, it’s a sermon-like presentation backing the idea that by your own volition you can/may believe (what’s truthful); it’s not silly. James wanted to go beyond the “logical intellect” to ground that territory of belief, justified by faith; that is, believing (in what’s truthful) may be lawful. Passions, may have a reason, per se, I would conclude. The thing is that both Mulder and James believe in the paranormal, and that seems to be based on HOPE and "other elements of their 'passional nature'.
…
Another essay (“Ancient X-Files: Mulder and Plato’s Sokratic Dialogues by William M. Schneider”) made me revisit Socrates’ trial and the foundation of the accusations: he refused to “acknowledge the gods recognized by the state”, he was also disturbing in some way the youth of his time. There’s one episode when Mulder consults several times the “Apology” of Plato. Mulder finds value in “reexamining a life”, just like Socrates did. Truth be said, even Socrates in his search for the wise men (be them politicians, or craftsmen) would ultimately consult with the 'god' for "assistance".
Yes, granted, the X-files stirred (and stretched) both territories: the intellect’s territory and faith’s territory. But the later is more penalized by society, wouldn’t you agree? It's hard to be/become a Socrates. I know, R. Dawkins would shun my mention to the "faith" word; to him, in my view, the series is a sort of bunk; it promotes "pseudoscience".
"Each week The X - Files poses a mystery and offers two rival kinds of explanation, the rational theory and the paranormal theory. And, week after week, the rational explanation loses. But it is only fiction, a bit of fun, why get so hot under the collar?
Richard Dawkins
From epistemology to metaphysics, axiology, ethics and Aristotelian virtues-considerations and even political views (namely on deception) this is quite a complete work of 13 essays worth-reading. It offers an Appendix with a summary of each episode ever featured.
___
https://www.google.pt/amp/bigthink.co...
Due to the episode’s existentialist undertones, made explicit at its denouement, of “We are all alone,” …
In the Preface
--
“Special Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), a trained medical doctor who also studied physics in college, is the consummate scientist.” (...)
"The basic point of Mulder’s character in this regard is that we should be open to exploring “unexplained phenomena” via “extreme possibilities,…”
Dean A. Kowalski in the Introduction.
I cannot recall how many episodes I have watched of the X-files series. Years ago (some) I just sat and had another story to ponder as each episode was presented. I guess, each episode wouldn’t be (ever) a conclusive thing; it would leave most of the viewers pondering, left in that middle ground between unbelief (or disbelief) and belief, science and fiction. Yes, some “wanted to believe”. Some just didn’t.
(The X-files main theme song, won’t go away.)
Yet the episodes had something in common; a couple, Mulder and Scully, the FBI investigators who had quite different personalities and world-views; nevertheless, almost complementary.
“They are here among us”
MULDER
“They’ve been here for a long, long time”
(someone else)
"The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know"
Blaise Pascal
And speaking of belief, the reading of one the essays (“I Want to Believe”: William James and The X-Files by Keith Dromm) prompted me to read William James essay "The will to believe"(1896). In a nutshell, it’s a sermon-like presentation backing the idea that by your own volition you can/may believe (what’s truthful); it’s not silly. James wanted to go beyond the “logical intellect” to ground that territory of belief, justified by faith; that is, believing (in what’s truthful) may be lawful. Passions, may have a reason, per se, I would conclude. The thing is that both Mulder and James believe in the paranormal, and that seems to be based on HOPE and "other elements of their 'passional nature'.
…
Another essay (“Ancient X-Files: Mulder and Plato’s Sokratic Dialogues by William M. Schneider”) made me revisit Socrates’ trial and the foundation of the accusations: he refused to “acknowledge the gods recognized by the state”, he was also disturbing in some way the youth of his time. There’s one episode when Mulder consults several times the “Apology” of Plato. Mulder finds value in “reexamining a life”, just like Socrates did. Truth be said, even Socrates in his search for the wise men (be them politicians, or craftsmen) would ultimately consult with the 'god' for "assistance".
Yes, granted, the X-files stirred (and stretched) both territories: the intellect’s territory and faith’s territory. But the later is more penalized by society, wouldn’t you agree? It's hard to be/become a Socrates. I know, R. Dawkins would shun my mention to the "faith" word; to him, in my view, the series is a sort of bunk; it promotes "pseudoscience".
"Each week The X - Files poses a mystery and offers two rival kinds of explanation, the rational theory and the paranormal theory. And, week after week, the rational explanation loses. But it is only fiction, a bit of fun, why get so hot under the collar?
Richard Dawkins
From epistemology to metaphysics, axiology, ethics and Aristotelian virtues-considerations and even political views (namely on deception) this is quite a complete work of 13 essays worth-reading. It offers an Appendix with a summary of each episode ever featured.
___
https://www.google.pt/amp/bigthink.co...
March 5, 2013
Oh, how I enjoy The X-Files (both Trevor and I do). After we watched the whole series (oh yeah) I was left wanting more. So, I found a bunch of books related to The X-Files and decided to read them. This was the first one. I liked it. It was no X-Files, in and of itself, but it allowed me to literally nerd out--enjoying "inside" jokes from fellow X-Phile authors and simultaneously learning and thinking philosophy. It provided me with a good review of some philosophical tenets and an introduction to others. It was very easy to read, thought-provoking, and...it was all about The X-Files. Yay!
December 30, 2007
The chapters on the slogan "I want to believe," and those about AD Skinner and CSM, and the episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" are particularly strong. I enjoyed the foreword written by William Davis (the actor who played CSM) and I learned from the appendix that tells you what philosophical ideas to look for in particular episodes.
August 10, 2013
As a child of the '90's, X-Files is my all-time fave show. Reading "The Philosophy of..." has given me some deep insight into the shows characters, what the writers were thinking, and a new insight on this old favorite. It didn't ruin the series for me, but makes me want to go back and watch each episode with new eyes.
September 6, 2013
Best essays towards the start of the book, some exceedingly good, pace and insights seem to drag on from there :(
Some good essays later after the lull :)
Some good essays later after the lull :)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews