Inception and Philosophy: Because It's Never Just a Dream

Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture #26

by David Kyle Johnson (Editor)

A philosophical look at the movie Inception and its brilliant metaphysical puzzles Is the top still spinning? Was it all a dream? In the world of Christopher Nolan's four-time Academy Award-winning movie, people can share one another's dreams and alter their beliefs and thoughts. Inception is a metaphysical heist film that raises more questions than it Can we know what is real? Can you be held morally responsible for what you do in dreams? What is the nature of dreams, and what do they tell us about the boundaries of "self" and "other"? From Plato to Aristotle and from Descartes to Hume, Inception and Philosophy draws from important philosophical minds to shed new light on the movie's captivating themes, including the one that everyone talks did the top fall down (and does it even matter)?

Explores the movie's key questions and themes, including how we can tell if we're dreaming or awake, how to make sense of a paradox, and whether or not inception is possible Gives new insights into the nature of free will, time, dreams, and the unconscious mind Discusses different interpretations of the film, and whether or not philosophy can help shed light on which is the "right one" Deepens your understanding of the movie's multi-layered plot and dream-infiltrating characters, including Dom Cobb, Arthur, Mal, Ariadne, Eames, Saito, and Yusuf An essential companion for every dedicated Inception fan, this book will enrich your experience of the Inception universe and its complex dreamscape.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Film, Essays, Cultural, Art

431 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2011

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't one of those books that you just happen to pick up and read - you're going to be interested in the movie Inception, and you're going to be interested in philosophy or at least philosophical concepts and how they relate to themes in the movie. In which case, this book delivers on what one would expect it to be and raises interesting points from famous philosophers and applies this to Inception - a movie I absolutely adored. I was actually inspired to read this because I loved the movie The Matrix and read a philosophy book in the same sort of context.
Inception and Philosophy is a good read, interesting, thought provoking and had me thinking about various parts of the movie in new ways - exactly what I was hoping for. It even allowed me to pull out a few philosophical concepts out over drinks with friends - a total win!

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you thought Inception blew your mind, then read this book. David Johnson masterfully makes significant philosophical connections to the film's characters and plotline, citing Plato, Aristotle, John Locke, Descartes to back up his claims. I thought I appreciated the film after watching it 10-12 times, but now I have a newfound appreciation after reading this book.

What I found to be extremely eye-opening is Johnson's argument about free will and inception in real life. If we are truly free, then shouldn't inception be something we are worried about? Propaganda, films, TV shows (just about any form of art) are forms of inception, as they plant ideas into our heads. However, if we are not free, we probably don't need to worry about inception, since there's no 'free will' for it to interfere with?

[Denise Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inception & Philosophy reads like a semester's worth of a philosophy class. Although the book is in topical sections, the chapters within each section build upon one another. Sections could be read out of order or just particular sections read. Much of the book deals with philosophers & their ideologies and is just plain boring; however, several of the chapter writers bring new interesting insights to the reader. There is also an appendix which makes for a nice Inception-watching companion.

[Haris Wahid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep and enlightening. I was really excited by the references to strange loops and Douglas Hofstadter's book and Escher because i was fascinated with those too

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a few gems of essays in this book. The final section in particular is all fold. I found a majority of the work in here though to unbearable, as if written by a first year philosophy major who just read Aristotle and feels the need to quote him all the time. Equally annoying is the various authors in here who feel the need to summarize parts of the movie as if one had not watched it and/or reference each other.

My recommendation on reading this book is the first essay, and the last section. Most of the chapters are worth skipping though.

[Renas Bücherleidenschaft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tiefe Freundschaft

Im vierten Band der Irrlichter beleuchtet Pia Hepke die Freundschaft zwischen Chrin und Irwing. Gemeinsam versuchen die zwei ein gefangenes Irrlicht, das mit einer Schattenseele verbunden ist, von der Tortur zu befreien. Das birgt aber auch Gefahren, die besonders Irwing betreffen-

Meine Meinung:

Das Cover ist wieder ein Hingucker. Ich finde es spiegelt so viel wieder und ist absolut stimmig mit der Geschichte dahinter.

Pia Hepke hat es auch mit ihren schwarzen Irrlichtern geschafft mein Herz zu berühren. Mit den schwarzen Irrlichtern zeigt sie uns wie wichtig Freundschaft ist und wie viel diese bedeuten kann. Tiefgründig und emotional nimmt sie uns mit auf eine wunderschöne Reise.

Ebenfalls zeigt die Autorin auf, dass im Leben nicht immer alles nur schwarz und weiß ist, sondern dass es dazwischen noch sehr viel mehr gibt. Das merkt man besonders gut an der armen Seele, die gefangen ist zwischen Licht und Schatten. Die Verzweiflung ist regelrecht greifbar. Doch wo Schatten ist, ist auch Licht?

Inzwischen bin ich zum kleinen Fan des Schreibstils der Autorin geworden. Dieser ist so berührend, dass er mich immer wieder mitten ins Herz trifft. Obwohl auch „Der Tod unter deiner Haut“ wieder traurig ist, ist das Lesen ein Genuss. Ihre Worte rühren mich und gehen unter die Haut.

Die Figuren sind so liebevoll kreiert, die muss man einfach gern haben.
Chrin ist schon irgendwie knuffig muss ich sagen. Er gehört zu den ältesten Irrlichtern, die existieren, und dementsprechend ist er auch schon mal „aufmüpfig“ gegenüber seinen Erschaffern. Chrin ist mit seiner ganzen Art ein eigensinniger Charakter

Ein Wiedersehen gibt es mit Irwing, der mir schon zuvor so ans Herz gewachsen ist. Er ist so tapfer, so stark. Er wird geplagt und leidet viel, aber dennoch hat er ein so reines Herz. Man möchte ihn einfach nur in die Arme schließen und wünscht sich für ihn ein Happy End.

Fazit:

Die Autorin hat es wieder geschafft eine sehr bewegende und emotionale Geschichte zu erzählen, die einem unter die Haut geht. Traurig, und dennoch wunderschön. Wenn du tiefgründige Storys magst, die dazu magisch sind, dann kann ich dieses wunderschöne Buch nur empfehlen.

[Markus Bredberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Consisting of a set of essays of varying quality and a lot of trivia, this book will feel both cliché, repetitive, and interesting at different times. Since every essay has its own author many analyses are very similar. For instance, the question of how we can know whether or not we're dreaming is frequently linked with Descartes thought experiment of the deceptive demon.

But the book advances and still manages to build on previous chapters in interesting ways, actually suggesting conclusions. Following the dream-like editing throughout the movie and hints such as that the team resembles a movie team, and that both the movie and the song that used to time the dreams is 2:28, it is suggested that in fact the entire movie is a dream (which the first name of the main characters spell (Dominick, Robert, Eames, Ariadne, Miles). If we struggle with telling the dream from reality, it shouldn't then reduce the meaning, morality, or importance of it. Indeed, to the extent of vividity, waking up into a different world should be just and impactful as falling asleep and dreaming of another one. But of course, dreams aren't that vivid and structured.

One idea that was new for me was the principle of charity. Compared to the principle of simplicity - that is fundamental for science - the principle of charity assumes the best of the creater of some piece of art. According to this principle, there are no mistakes and everything is meaningful. To me, this is to Checkov's shotgun what the principle of simplicity is to Occam's razor.

[Evan Micheals · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a brain chewing gum book that combines pop culture with philosophy that I like. This one mostly focuses on dreams and reality and perceptions of it. It broadly draws on the work of Philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Hume, and Descartes. It considers an artist’s right to interpret their work (are they the only ones or once it is presented can it be interpreted in ways the Artist did not intend?). The writers are keen to point out how (intentionally) ambiguous Inception is.

Brain chewing gum for me. I understand the movie better (having only watched it once). Suitable for fans. Otherwise forgettable.

[Lam Ha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book talking about dreams and philosophy. Which - to my surprise - are very much alike. Are we dreaming or are we awake? How can we point out the different between them. Is this world real? Are we responsible for any crime that we committed in our dream? Is it possible to implant and manipulate people's consciousness? Aren't movies and advertising and books and songs and everything around trying to do the very same thing to us now?
I will try to finish the second half of this book soon. 😂

[Handsome Christmas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before everyone starts complaining, I actually didn’t finish this book. I just started it and got about 3/4 or half of the way through and gave up because it was so long and I watched the movie so many times if you’re really a fan of the movie it’s much better, but the book was solid initially in explaining some of the fanfictionI would call it that states what the filmmaker was thinking but honestly, I would recommend the script book better because you can actually see how much the movie is visual

[Lucy S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a few of the essays in here are interesting and raise ways of thinking I hadn't previously considered. Would recommend to those who saw the film and found themselves fascinated by the theories on dreaming that it touched on

[James Charlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. I have watched Inception at least a dozen times participating in a Freudian analysis of the characters. The philosophical take was a whole different way to look at it.

[Vijay Bhaskar · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you loved the movie inception you'll love It more after reading this.

[Cori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Question: "Was Mal Right? Was it All Just a Dream?: Making Sense of Inception"

Answer: Yes, it was just a dream, but I too wouldn't jump out of a window to prove it.

After watching the movie I was inclined to believe that Cobb was reunited with his children in reality. After reading some online reviews and the first section of this book I have switched sides, and now think that it was all just a dream. I don't think that detracts anything from the movie.

In this section of the book I thought Southwoth's "Let Me Put My Thoughts in You: It Was All Just a Dream" was the best essay. I enjoyed the ending of "The Unavoidable Dream Problem" by Miller, but it was convoluted.


Question: "Is the Top Still Spinning?: Tackling the Unanswerable Question"

Answer: I don't think so, but that doesn't seem to be the point.

It seems to me that "The Parable..." and "Reality Doesn't Really Matter" were at odds. I did not agree with "Reality..." because I can't believe you would make a choice like that based on the good of your consciousness alone (Hedonism). I suppose Cobb might not have kids in reality, but if we can assume he does, what happens to them if he stays in his own mind?

Also, if the timing conventions from the movie are accurate, Cobb could live multiple lifetimes in limbo, but only a few weeks in the real world. Would being 1,000 years old make you realize you were dreaming? And didn't they touch on the idea in the movie? I don't see myself as a SADFOR, but I would pick reality both times.

And thank you to Bart Engelen for laying out my thoughts so well in "Why Care Whether the Top Keeps Spinning?"

Question: "Is Inception Possible?: The Metaphysics, Ethics, and Mechanics of Incepting"

Answer: Apparently it happens to us everyday.

This section of the book seemed focused on philosophical concepts and only related to Inception because the examples used character names. I thought the essay on the ethics of heist films was the most interesting.

Question: "What is Dreaming?: Exploring the Nature of (Shared) Dreams (Upon Dreams)"

Answer: I don't know...

This section of the book doesn't do a very good job of answering the question. There are some interesting insights into dreams, but nothing that seems to really stick out. I liked three of the essays, but found "Morally Responsible Dreaming" & "Do Our Dreams Occur While We Sleep" lacking.

Question: "Should I Take a Leap of Faith?: Religious Themes in Inception"

Answer: It depends on the reasons.

I really liked the "Taking a Leap of Faith" essay and its conclusion. "Beliefs are not private matters." "Unlocking the Vault of the Mind" seems to have unlocked my understanding of a lot of the other essays in this book. These ideas are starting to click.

Question: "What Does it All Mean?: Finding the Hidden Lessons of Inception"

Answer: It means Nolan is nifty, and deeper than even he knows!

I really enjoyed this final section. The essay on regret was probably my favorite, but they were all strong. Paradoxes can be fun. Now to finish with the hilarious outtakes!

Bonus Material:
Non, je ne regrette rien
Kyle Johnson @Google

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ordered this book from Amazon after seeing David Kyle Johnson's Google Talk (in which he made quite a compelling case for Christopher Nolan's masterpiece film, Inception, to win 2010's Academy Award for Best Picture), and I could hardly put it down until I'd finished it. The explanations of some of the film's key plot elements really help to put the film into perspective, and the essays included in the book all add to the depth and complexity of Inception. A must read for those fascinating by the deeper meaning of this great film.

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been wanting to read this book ever since I saw a video of the editor giving a talk on Inception. The movie fascinated me and the depth that these authors go into the movie are, well deep. If you've seen the movie (don't read this is you haven't) you will learn all sorts of things that you most likely missed on your first watch through.

The book is really about the philosophical questions that the movie raises, and in general the authors do a great job discussing this. It probably was a chapter or two too long, but the overall content is great.

[Annie Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are we really here?
That is the question this book will make you have running through your mind on a daily basis.
I enjoyed this read as it focused not only on the film but on genuine theories and questions stated by philosophers around the globe.
At some points, there was repetition on reoccurring topics as this book consists of chapters written by different philosophers but you could see it as simply re-emphasising the point/question.
I would not likely reread this book however, it has opened my view on philosophy and has encouraged me to read other similar pieces.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The opening few essays in this book were phenomenal - got me thinking very deeply about the philosophical issues contained in the movie. However, as the book progressed it seemed to move into broader and more general philosophical issues, and simply used Inception as a reference point. So a bit of a mixed bag, all in all. Definitely an enjoyable read though.

[Leandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really liked seeing how Inception was being compared to branches of philosophy. It went a bit too far away from the point in my opinion. My favorite part of the book was seeing the different theories as to how much was a dream - and getting a new aspect to the movie because of that.

[Scott Landry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much liked the book but there are some contributing authors that get a little tedious in their writing and seem to go off track a little.

Having said that though, I would recommend book to anyone who loves the movie, 'Inception'.

[Perry Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book makes a few key points in the early chapters but bludgeons you with them for the remainder. It was almost too repetitive to finish at the end.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Appendix/keys to unlocking the story was probably the best part, but overall the book had many interesting nuggets.

[Fernando Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

You need time to digest the topics in this book. The whole series of pop culture and philosophy is good but this one is one of the gems!

[Jayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting collection of essays, with "How to a Hijack a Mind" being my favorite.

[Amazingsomeone · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice read if you enjoyed the movie.

[David Garcia olivares]

Good