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Films

Reflections on the Death of Celluloid

Thomas Wartenberg looks at philosophy literally on film.

Can films do philosophy? This question has been the subject of a rigorous debate among philosophers of film. Some take it that the answer is obviously “Yes” since a film can certainly be made of a philosopher making an argument, and the resulting film clearly shows philosophy being done. When we see the rotoscoped image of Robert Solomon discussing Sartre’s philosophy in Richard Linklater’s Waking Life (2001), these philosophers would say we are witnessing philosophy being done on film. For the most part, however, participants in this debate think the use of a film as essentially a recording device, as it is in Waking Life, is beside the point. The real question, they maintain, is whether philosophy can be done using the particular technical capabilities of film as an artistic medium.

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