“A Man's Gotta Do What a Man's Gotta Do,” and Other Memorable Lines from “Philosophy and Film”

For ten years now at Florida State University I have been teaching a course called “Philosophy and Film” for the Honors Program. To give you some background I should say that I am an English-born philosopher who has been teaching now for nearly fifty years. For the first thirty-five years I taught at a medium-sized university in Ontario, Canada (a public university, as are nearly all universities in Canada), and for the last twelve years at Florida State University. I left Canada at the age of sixty to avoid compulsory retirement, but looked upon coming South as an opportunity and not simply an escape. Most of my labors on this new campus have been directed toward starting a small graduate program in the history and philosophy of science, but I have always done (and enjoyed) a lot of undergraduate teaching.When I found that there was an honors program on campus that was looking for instructors, I jumped at the chance. The opportunity was attractive for a number of reasons. Most obviously, one would be teaching bright, motivated students, and in small groups (around fifteen, although this number has increased slightly recently). What really appealed to me, however, was something that, for many faculty, actually made unattractive the prospect of teaching in the honors program. One is encouraged to do something—to offer a course—that is somewhat outside the loop. My professional field is the philosophy of science, and what was very much not needed was another course in the philosophy of science. What was needed rather was something that, well, would be right for an honors program! I take this to mean something to do with culture in a broad sense—meaning that it could as easily be something to do with the sciences as the humanities, but should be about issues in society and more generally relating to the intellectual and social milieu in which we are raised and live.I am not quite sure where I got the idea of a philosophy and film course. One sense that I have is that around 2000, a number of philosophers were independently starting to think in terms of philosophy courses based on the movies. My completely unscientific evidence for this is that, checking with Amazon.com, I find that there are around ten or more texts on the topic published in the past five years or so. That would suggest that ideas were gestating about ten years ago. I do remember that the distinguished philosopher Stanley Cavell (he was for many years at Harvard, teaching aesthetics) had written on film, particularly on Hollywood comedies from the thirties and forties. He might have had an influence on me, although I am not sure that I ever read anything that he had written and probably picked things up from such places as the New York Review of Books. (Don't we all?!)One thing that leads me to suspect that there was an influence was that Cavell did not choose “important” or “distinguished” movies, but rather movies that people like—more importantly, movies that he liked. That attitude has been absolutely basic for me in my approach to my course. I look upon movies in the twentieth century as akin to opera in the nineteenth century. A great art form has first and foremost to be entertaining, has to be fun. I don't think twentieth-century art has been much fun, and twentieth-century music has certainly not been. But the movies have been, and that for me is the starting point. (Incidentally, by “movies” I mean movies and not television. For me, television never has had that almost mystical sense of wonder and enjoyment as the lights go down and the screen takes over. This is not to say you couldn't have a course on television and philosophy—it is just that I don't think it would be the same course.)So what about my course? I set it up ten years ago and haven't done a lot of tampering with it since. We meet once a week for three hours. A designated student gives a five-minute introduction to the week's movie (date, director, and so forth), and then we watch the movie together. After a short break—at seventy-one that is not a luxury for me!—we discuss the movie for about forty-five minutes. Not much less but also not much more. are to to I don't take but I people are not there and and this is not a all almost all of the I remember about years the a of the I to meet once a a me a had had to for was I so much of the the the watch it on so that the could be for and and so A of years he to me and been to or three who had the course and had been so what was (and for me absolutely We have a it is just then we about it as a on the a a week or more in just to be the same I think it is the that I have very and I there is a that has to do with the should that we do it this to watch the would be the one of that you that there is a at some the the and in an that to movie of so as it is done in a of of the a from the for or of a by or in the course of teaching of a in a or to in the of a or the or the of is by of a that was not made this and that the for the or had to was not you have got to or the But that, it is so as the is around and you are in a Not all of this is starting to a a you that there is and wonder the course is ten of to that the find about it or it be of very and it is to honors students, that probably couldn't but you the me now you about the three I have in the starting with that which it anything but a and of all the courses I have ever this is the to to my my and who around to what a we are on the for the course is an is to be my that this not a less and not one more The is on the movie of the and is to be in the week the for or My to is that I read and the in the week and in the do a of twelve do more so and the ten is ten and a student twelve then ten is very not to at twelve from do more. The teaching of the is look upon all of this as an in to a short and to the point. are and and about always that and are then you are me just at the I am about to give you a We about the of things that were in the movie and that could be written and the are I some on what was or was not in the although we have a I look upon as and not just one of the My is to give and and to people do not to up but to watch the movie on this up on the that to coming to I to the of the movies have about also I to discuss the movies The it is a of that once you you do it on I there could be but this is the of where is to almost more it is that what I am to set up is the of professional in which you find in five on the on on He a with to from the to the He you to the What is the is it What we do to meet the the last but it is a That is what I am looking for in the student the it it so My is that at the of the the are not very are a lot it by the I should say that generally my are I am to a to bright, motivated I am and (Incidentally, in this course I to less by designated and more and with on a at That is one of the of a small my teaching that is the first thing I do in this I should say that we all But we also to it up and not to be there is always a movie on this in a with and and a and to for the I should say that the course to be a I to up and motivated and I with me right the and not just at and to about the great age me and my students, but to this to I the of people and the to are by who such a of what he and who on history as it was The of the week of the for the and by but a the This me to the of the course. I I movies to I think movies are of culture and of but very We but I to give a of generally rather people a of what is of as as that of in the century just don't do things but I to the and about movies and the from for one of my movies to is the and and me, the really as the The about this of is that it is directed by and is about the of or or the and of had been a and the of the The movie We have some great about might have been a and the made things so from the The great thing about a course this is that movies to the This last the that so many and are to on the of the of has much more and is movie for the of the a film of the What this you about a What about the who made in some sense in with is (and I don't say this in a people be about something so as the to what set to society and that, to a great of by we now have a much of the of the we did fifty years ago. But that is not the thing to about what in in the One that has always been for me is the in which people got up in the My for although from a that was very much the had to the is the same age as who also had to What did this mean to there in society For are we in of in the same the and to what The For a of what it is to be a there is is there a of the of not the on who we ever have a who had or at in had as a of My are not in the to go to or it to be the of the who up and who go there is the of the and of in the as a it to be a the the of that was in the look where that got could go on movies I certainly don't mean to that all movies all the movies I to or social or The I to to the is that movies be and as of society and of the I have to and and I do this is to influence what we I that I down and the and of the twentieth century and then this be the of My and I suspect that, you looked the years at my would as the I say that there has never been a movie with as but I think of one I also suspect that you looked at the would the film just have a that has never been But don't I was a in so I have you don't my choose This is my so I to the and of the course. The for the course in the first I to that this is not a course on the philosophy of I am not quite sure what that would although I am sure as a topic it and has been written But That is not my course. My course is philosophy and with issues the of with What are a is always on the of things the with ever new and wonder and the me and the with of What is there and do we We as think of this as to the and to the What I and do I the there are about about and about are a of about and and about the and and also are three movies I have that have to do with and and so is the film about a and is from the of the the the to a and a who on the very there such a thing as the and so what is there really a or are we just is the film about a the or of a who in of to for is this do we the ever would we to of a would you rather go the or the all the we the same and in as in is the film This movie is about a by the who is at but in the to it is made very But there is a lot to suggest that at of the in a We have the that in the do you you are and do you from great of art always have some new and so are for as as also is as is as an of what to as a This last I taught the course was just as the from State were a of the of the course I was and to this rather the as we the of and in the of what to you in This with the of another movie I film about a who is at and at is a topic in and my professional and I to it as it my history and philosophy of program has an undergraduate has an undergraduate course on and film, and so I don't do quite so much on in my course. 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The great thing about to the movies on a was that it was so an one in would that you would do it and so there were on the first was at it that you the of a in my The to A of was (and The with it on a for the to but I think is more all was was so short that he would on an a as the of the that and the in the of the of for me has a on the the to from my all great is of He the as and as who are to a go of in the of from the to as by and to and But past is The a on the to and the and the he the he he really and he is to with a from or a a you on to and there more in the We are left with the is not just a great is a great is a great is in it a of and at a then do we do what we The has in with and the is The The he to be The would be for to take it the who are a lot more would to of He what he do for the of and then A do what a But the has a do what a the is has to be what he of the movies I in my course I find I more or three I go with at and I a that about I take so many of the and But I watch and is a movie and it is so in right down at once to the of we do what we I have a movie up in and that take from on He would it is of the of with the New York I was to a film to and discuss with The New York I to an is for me, my for movies to be much I for to my or I don't say movies, are always completely from all of the would be A might of you the New York that he the of I or I should I the of he to the movies is not first and foremost an what is or right it is or right for rather you have so much on this go to the movies you you to be That my of movies. 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