November 2024 - Deep Focus Philosophy

Ethics

The Social Network + Power

David Fincher’s film The Social Network delves into the origins of Facebook and the intricate interplay of power, ambition, and ethics. Through an exploration of Mark Zuckerberg’s ascent to becoming the youngest self-made tech billionaire of the (post)modern era, let us look to the perspectives of Stephen Hicks critiques on power dynamics along with Niccolò Machiavelli’s view on authority and finally to Immanuel Kant’s moral principles.

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Postmodernism

Mulholland Drive + Illusion

Mulholland Drive is considered, by many, to be David Lynch’s masterpiece. Jean Baudrillard, a prominent postmodern philosopher seems to be one who agrees with this sentiment. Baudrillard recounted this favorable opinion in his iconoclastic book, The Conspiracy of Art. This comment actually was a brief counterpoint as to why The Matrix was a...

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Existentialism

Blue Ruin + Resentment

Jeremy Saulnier’s film Blue Ruin offers a gritty, unflinching look at the consequences of seeking revenge. It is an anti-revenge, revenge tale that delves into the mind of its character, Dwight Evans, as he grapples with the complexity of resentment. Between two families the film explores themes including the cycle of violence and the futility of seeking retribution.

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Existentialism

Pulp Fiction + Redemption

Pulp Fiction, by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avery came out of the 1994 Cannes Film Festival as a controversial yet clear winner of the Golden Palm with its style and complex storytelling. Beyond its surface appeal, to which it has in spades, lies a profound exploration of redemption and the rush of catharsis which inevitability follows. Pulp Fiction takes us on a journey through concepts such as Aristotle’s idea of catharsis and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s perspective on redemption revealing the moral layers within the narrative.

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