Taken as a Genre
Pierre Morel’s Taken (2008) turned Liam Neeson from a serious dramatic actor into America’s favourite murder-dad. Here I examine one of the film's legacies, and argue that Taken can be understood as a genre unto itself.
Articles
Dark Humour & Insipid Morality
The Suicide Squad goes beyond just having a moral core; it has a moralistic one. Here we discuss the how the film revels in gory death and yet pleads for us (Helen Lovejoy-style) to 'think of the children'.
Bioware & Voluntary Slavery
A recurring theme in Bioware’s Mass Effect and Dragon Age series is that slavery – while bad – can be justified if it’s chosen. Here we consider whether volunteering to be a slave makes a moral difference.
Okja and the Limits of Shame
Here we consider the power of shame and embarrassment as seen through the lens of Okja. This involves showing what can be accomplished through shame, but also what can’t.
Gilderoy Lockhart: Attempted Murderer
Prolific author, repeated winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award, and inept teacher. Handsome but harmless? Quite the contrary!
Trope Alert: Moral Warping
Sometimes, constructing the moral world doesn’t go smoothly. Maybe the hero doesn’t seem to stand for anything good, and so there’s no reason to accept them as the hero. Or perhaps the villain isn’t especially villainous; a sympathetic villain is common enough but something about this character makes it seem like they’re just straightforwardly in the right. There are a few ways a film can deal with this problem. I call one way ‘moral warping’.
Fight or Flyte? The Poetic Tradition in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
Ever wanted to tell a colleague exactly what you think of them and not have it become a HR issue? Here we delve into a brief history of flyting – the poetic exchange of invectives – as found in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Why Care if They Made it Up? Historical Accuracy in The Trial of the Chicago 7
At the climax of The Trial of the Chicago 7, Tom Hayden uses his closing remarks to read out the names of Americans killed in the Vietnam War. One by one the defendants stand and raise their fists in solidarity. Music swells as the gallery stands. Eventually Richard Schultz, the prosecutor, sheds a tear and rises as well. “What are you doing?” asks his co-prosecutor, to which Schultz answers “paying respects.” It’s a powerful, well-constructed scene with a very significant problem: it never happened.
2001: A Space Stoic
Stoicism is the beloved philosophy of emperors, slaves, and financial advisors. Here we consider one idea from stoic metaphysics – that the universe begins and ends in cycles, with us living our lives over and over – and its representation in the 2001 film K-Pax.
Picard, Time Travel & Moral Motivation
We love that Jean-Luc Picard is back on TV. However, does this have weird implications for time travel in the Star Trek universe?
Mass Effect & the Problem of Other Minds
Given that I only have access to my own mind, is it rational to attribute minds and mental states to others? What if the others in question are drastically different to us – such as the aliens in Mass Effect? Here we introduce the problem of other minds and the argument from analogy.
Peppa Pig & the Ontological Argument
Peppa Pig is not merely a morally questionable piece of entertainment for children; it’s ripe with unplucked philosophical fruit. In this article we consider the light it can shed on Anselm’s Ontological Argument for the existence of God.
The Turing Test (Part 1)
The Turing Test is a popular device in fiction, becoming an umbrella term for language-based tests to determine whether computers or other synthetic beings have minds. Here we explore the origins of the Turing Test and some examples of fictional machines that would pass it.
On Persistence & Memory
What makes you the same person from one day to the next? How can your favourite character survive a brain swap, teleportation, or shape-shifting? This article explores the Persistence Question, as it arises in your favourite fiction. But it isn't just a matter for philosophers or fiction: problems of personal identity have ramifications for your everyday life...
Prescriptivism v Descriptivism: A Very English Affair
In this piece, the Master clarifies this most contentious of binaries, prescriptivism and descriptivism, and in the process of doing so, exposes the illogicality of the former and reveals the delicious sense of superiority so craved by self-anointed ‘Grammar Nazis’ that attends the latter.
Sherlocked in Samarra
Sherlock's back and so are we, discussing fate, death, and a very important appointment in Samarra.
Schrödinger’s Hippogriff (Part 2)
This series looks at three famous paradoxes from the philosophy of time travel, as exemplified in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Part 2 introduces the Grandfather Paradox, and more generally, the problem of changing the past.
“A ferlie he spied wi’ his e’e”: Examining the Apologetic Apostrophe
A brief summary of the apologetic apostrophe and its evolution from marketing tool to characterisation device.
Game for Graduates
In this short and sweet piece, game studies expert Matthew Barr outlines his research on the benefits of video games for learning. Never fear, the justification for hours of gaming is here!
Nor Have I Yet Outrun the Sun (Part 1)
This series looks at three famous paradoxes from the philosophy of time travel, as exemplified in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Part 1 serves as an introduction to the puzzles and the plot that brought them to life.
Language Evolution and Gaming
Evolutionary linguist Sean Roberts outlines three ways his research is influenced by video games – including our understanding of the brain, language evolution, and linguistic diversity. Features Minecraft!
Hermione Granger & the Glottal of Fire (Part 2)
This article explores the evolution of T-glottaling in Hermione's dialect between the first and penultimate films of the Harry Potter franchise.
Introducing the 'F' Word (Part 1)
If someone knows our future, can we still be free? This first instalment concentrates on the difference between it being true that you will perform a given action, and it being necessary, drawing on examples from the Matrix and Harry Potter.
It's glo/t/al stop, not glo/ʔ/al stop! (Part 1)
This article introduces T-Glottaling and considers its specific role in the wider trope, 'Accent Denotes Class'.