“Film is something like the marketplace of ideas in contemporary life,” says professor Katheryn Doran, a co-director of the Philosophy in Film Without Theory conference that will be taking place on campus on Oct. 21 and 22. The conference will host seven keynotes and nine additional speakers that will present papers on philosophy and film which highlight the philosophical ideas embedded in movies and T.V. shows.

Philosophy is often considered a rigorous academic discipline composed of challenging texts and obscure terminology. However, philosophy does not have to be this way, and it originally was not. Socrates used to go out into the marketplace of Athens and talk philosophy with whomever he could. In a similar fashion, film can act as a medium to interact with philosophy that is more accessible and more applicable to the general public.

Did I mess up last night? Why am I still in love with him? What am I doing with my life? We ask ourselves these ordinary questions daily. However, you are unlikely to have a friend bring up Mill’s theory of Utilitarianism when you ask them whether you acted immorally. And they do not have to bring up Mill because philosophy does not need to be reduced to philosophers and philosophical theories. Similarly, film can convey philosophical ideas to people who have no formal philosophical education. In doing so, more people can be exposed to and think over these ideas. One might argue that the medium of film is less abstract; however, as Katheryn Doran says, “abstractness isn’t necessarily a virtue.” By being more personal and relatable, film can allow people to think over ideas more seriously and deeply and incorporate them into their lives.

Think of a few of your favorite movies. Some, if not all of them, resonated with you in some personal way and made you think or act differently because of it. Or, if anything, they made you think of some perspective or idea you never had before. Although you might not have thought about them as philosophical, the most powerful parts of movies often are. Pulling out these philosophical threads and examining them is the practice of philosophy in film and the center of the upcoming conference. Many popular movies and T.V shows, like

Curb Your Enthusiasm

,

Breaking Bad, Rashomon, The Banshees of Inisherin

and

Do the Right Thing

, will be covered at the conference, as well as some very interesting movies and ideas in films you might not have heard of but would be interested in seeing.