Catlyn Origitano

This chapter focuses on the important friendships Veronica has formed over the course of Veronica Mars. It considers the extent to which they approach or fall short of Aristotelian perfection. From the start, the Wallace‐Veronica relationship exemplifies Aristotle's friendship of utility. At this early stage, Veronica and Wallace are not yet friends in Aristotle's sense, since every form of friendship, including one of utility, needs some time to get off the ground. While friendships of utility thrive on an exchange of goods between friends, Aristotle argues that these friendships can dissolve into acrimony and resentment if one friend feels that she's giving more than she gets in return. Aristotle argues that, in order to have a perfect friendship, both friends must be good and virtuous people. The chapter investigates the moral characters of these two close friends to see if either can be considered truly virtuous.

BioShock Infinite follows the journey of Booker DeWitt, a reluctant detective from New York City who is transplanted via rowboat and lighthouse‐turned‐rocket to the city of Columbia. Booker is charged with the task of bringing back a girl in order to wipe away his debt. The girl, Elizabeth Comstock, has been locked in a tower since infancy by her father, Zachary Comstock, and is protected by a menacing Songbird. Although the game centers on Booker and his story, this chapter focuses on Elizabeth, looking at her through a feminist lens. Freeing Elizabeth from her tower, one could argue, is in a way freeing her from oppression of men. If we take Elizabeth as her own person, rather than as a mere companion, does Elizabeth's freedom from tower mean real freedom for her? Does Booker treat Elizabeth any differently than Comstock does? And, what really is Elizabeth's role in Booker's drowning?.

In the aftermath of national or international tragedies, appeals for action such as, “Never Forget” or “Never Again” are ubiquitous. Theodor Adorno makes a similar call in the wake of the Holocaust, proclaiming that all education should be focused on the prevention of another genocide. While most would agree with such a statement, practically how do we respond to such a call, specifically in light of Adorno’s work? Answering this question is at the heart of this project and I argue that imaginative memorials can fulfill Adorno’s criteria for post-Auschwitz education. I first present a theory of moral imagination by relying on contemporary accounts of the theory and then show how it complements Adorno’s work, specifically by offering an explanatory foundation to a number of his claims. I reveal that many of Adorno’s observations about the world are supported by recent advancements in the understanding of imagination and I argue that the combination of contemporary accounts of moral imagination and Adorno’s thought are mutually beneficial. After the two theories have been sufficiently discussed and integrated, I focus on Adorno’s arguments regarding education following Auschwitz. Adorno argues that we should investigate how such a horror could occur, and the people who committed the acts of genocide. Such information will be helpful for the prevention of another Auschwitz because we can attempt to overcome the values and ideas of those who perpetrated genocide. This dissertation is unique and of philosophical importance because it fleshes out Adorno’s discussion of the characteristics that led to the Holocaust and argues for a specific form of education that meets all of the criteria of Adorno’s post-Auschwitz education: memorials that stimulate the visitor’s imagination. In order to make this point, I highlight specific Holocaust memorials that are imaginative and argue for their efficacy. My goal for the project is to actualize Adorno’s post-Auschwitz education initiative through imaginative memorials.