Reel Arguments

by Light, Andrew

• ISBN13: 9780813365862
• ISBN10: 0813365864
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-01-01
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

InReel Arguments, Andrew Light, known for his work in environmental ethics and the philosophy of technology, addresses the role of film in society. By looking at films and the creators of such films asAlice in the Cities,Enemy of the State,The Conversation,Falling Down,City of Hope, andMatewan, Light persuasively argues that film can be highly philosophical and influential. Though not the first to make such a claim, Light brings new insights into the readings of these films as visual arguments covering a range of issues: identity politics, urban landscapes, the politics of space, and the unexpected dimensions of technology. This volume will be of special interest to readers of film and philosophy.

Author Biography

Andrew Light is co-director of the Applied Philosophy Group in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Professions at New York University

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction: Film as Social Philosophy	1	(20)
Part One: Film, Technology, and Built Space
Enemies of the State? Electronic Surveillance and the Neutrality of Technology	21	(34)
Wim Wenders's Everyday Aesthetics	55	(24)
Boyz in the Woods: Los Angeles as Urban Wilderness	79	(32)
Part Two: Film, Group Interests, and Political Identity
John Sayles on Class Interest	111	(22)
Spike Lee, Chico Mendes, and the Representation of Political Identity	133	(34)
Notes	167	(26)
Index	193