•  2
    Making History
    In Christopher Falzon, Timothy O'Leary & Jana Sawicki (eds.), A Companion to Foucault, Wiley. 2013.
    This chapter looks at some of the ways Foucault remade history and rethought the relationship between history and philosophy. It looks at Foucault's rejection, not only of traditional philosophical history, but also of traditional empiricist approaches to history. Then it turns to his alternative view of history as the mapping of transformations of forms of thought. Finally, it considers the transformations his view undergoes, from the “archaeology” of the 1960s, and the “genealogy” of the 1970s…Read more
  • The Philosophical Value of Film. Philosophical Experience and Experimental Film
    In Christina Rawls, Diana Neiva & Steven S. Gouveia (eds.), Philosophy and Film: Bridging Divides, Routledge Press, Research On Aesthetics. 2019.
  •  2
    Movies hold a mirror up to us, portraying the complexities of human reality through their characters and stories. And they vividly illustrate moral theories that address questions about how we are to live and what sort of people we ought to be. In this book, Christopher Falzon uses movies to provide a rich survey of moral positions as they have emerged through history. These include the ethics of the ancient world, medieval ethics, Enlightenment and Kantian ethics, existentialist ethics and the …Read more
  •  22
    Philosophical experience and experimental film
    In Christina Rawls, Diana Neiva & Steven Gouveia (eds.), Philosophy and Film: Bridging Divides, Routledge. pp. 159-173. 2019.
    One way that philosophy can be related to film is via the notion of experiment. This connection is usually discussed in terms of similarities between film and the thought experiments that can be found within philosophical texts. However, rather than subsuming film to the philosophical thought experiment, which risks missing what film itself contributes to the proceedings, it is more interesting to see how the cinematic medium might allow for forms of experimentation that go beyond what can be un…Read more
  •  17
    Drawing on a wide range of films from around the world, and the ideas of a diverse selection of thinkers from Plato and Descartes to Marcuse and Foucault, _Philosophy Goes to the Movies_ introduces and discusses central areas of philosophical concern, including: *the theory of knowledge *the self and personal identity *ethics *social and political philosophy *critical thinking Ideal for beginners, this book guides the reader through philosophy using lively and illuminating cinematic examples inc…Read more
  •  12
    Now emulated in several competing publications, but still unsurpassed in clarity and insight, _Philosophy Goes to the Movies: An Introduction to Philosophy, Third Edition_ builds on the approach that made the two earlier editions so successful. Drawing on many popular and some lesser known films from around the world, Christopher Falzon introduces students to key areas in philosophy, like: • Ethics • Social and Political Philosophy • The Theory of Knowledge • The Self and Personal Identity • Cri…Read more
  •  44
    Peter Weir's the Truman show and Sartrean freedom
    In Jean-Pierre Boulé & Enda McCaffrey (eds.), Existentialism and Contemporary Cinema: A Sartrean Perspective, Berghahn Books. pp. 17. 2011.
  •  42
    Philosophy through Film
    Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2013.
    Philosophy through Film This article introduces the main perspectives concerning philosophy through film. Film is understood not so much as an object of philosophical reflection but as a medium for engaging in philosophy. Contributions to the area have flourished since the beginning of the 21st century, along with debates over the extent to which film […]
  •  67
    Philosophy Goes to the Movies is a new kind of introduction to philosophy that makes use of the movies to explore philosophical ideas and positions. From art-house movies like Cinema Paradiso to Hollywood blockbusters like The Matrix, the movies we have grown up with provide us with a world of memorable images, events and situations that can be used to illustrate, illuminate and provoke philosophical thought.
  •  58
    Philosophy goes to the Movies is a new kind of introduction to philosophy that makes use of movies including The Matrix , Antz , Total Recall and Cinema Paradiso , to explore philosophical ideas. Topics covered include: *the theory of knowledge *the self and personal Identity *moral philosophy *social and political philosophy *philosophy of science and technology *critical thinking. Ideal for the beginner, this book guides the student through philosophy using lively and illuminating cinematic ex…Read more
  •  99
    In Being John Malkovich, the first of Charlie Kaufman's screenplays to be made into a feature film, the protagonist, Craig Schwartz , finds a portal into the body of actor John Malkovich , allowing him to inhabit it for fifteen minutes. Craig describes the experience to his sexy and condescending coworker Maxine , whom he lusts after: "It raises all sorts of philosophical-type questions, you know ... about the nature of self, about the existence of a soul You know, am I me? Is Malkovich Malkovic…Read more
  •  26
    Foucault, philosopher of dialogue
    In Timothy O'Leary & Christopher Falzon (eds.), Foucault and Philosophy, Wiley-blackwell. pp. 222--245. 2010.
    One fundamental point of agreement that emerged between Foucault and Habermas is that both rejected the Kantian paradigm of critique grounded in the notion of a transcendental subject. For Foucault, genealogy is a form of history that can account for the constitution of knowledge, discourses, etc. without reference to a constitutive subject; while central to Habermas's approach is his rejection of the "philosophy of the subject" in favor of the "intersubjectivist paradigm of communicative action…Read more
  • Philosophy goes to the movies. An introduction to philosophy
    Revue Philosophique de la France Et de l'Etranger 194 (3): 384-384. 2004.
  •  17
    Reviews & booknotes
    with Stan van Hooft and William J. Jackson
    Sophia 38 (2): 170-180. 1999.
  •  25
    Introduction: Foucault's philosophy
    with Timothy O'Leary
    In Timothy O'Leary & Christopher Falzon (eds.), Foucault and Philosophy, Wiley-blackwell. 2010.
    There is a sense in which every philosopher both constructs and confronts the philosophical universe in which their work takes form and has its effect. Plato's thought unfolds within the gravitational pull of the Greek city-state, the wandering sophists, the agonistic relations between Athenian aristocrats, and the massive presence of Socrates. Deleuze, to take a contemporary example, creates his concepts and embarks on his lines of flight between thinkers such as Nietzsche and Spinoza, artists …Read more
  • A Companion to Foucault (edited book)
    Wiley-Blackwell. 2013.
    _A Companion to Foucault_ comprises a collection of essays from established and emerging scholars that represent the most extensive treatment of French philosopher Michel Foucault’s works currently available. Comprises a comprehensive collection of authors and topics, with both established and emerging scholars represented Includes chapters that survey Foucault’s major works and others that approach his work from a range of thematic angles Engages extensively with Foucault's recently published l…Read more
  •  19
    Experiencing Force Majeure
    Film-Philosophy 21 (3): 281-298. 2017.
    This article looks at the 2014 Swedish comedy-drama Force Majeure as a kind of moral thought experiment, but also insofar as it might not fit such a model. The idea of a cinematic ethics, of cinema as providing an avenue for thinking through ethics and exploring ethical questions, finds at least one expression in the idea of film as experimental in this sense. At the same time, simply subsuming film to the philosophical thought experiment risks forgetting what film itself brings to the proceedin…Read more
  •  33
    Given his heralding of the "death of Man" or the "death of the subject", Michel Foucault's work is thought by many to be too fragmentary and anti-foundationalist to be much use for building any sort of ethical or political theory. Chris Falzon challenges this position, arguing that the proper alternative to foundationalism is not fragmentation but dialogue and that concept can be found in Foucault's work. Such a reading of Foucault allows us to see the ethical and political position implicit his…Read more
  •  37
    Foucault and Philosophy (edited book)
    Wiley-Blackwell. 2010.
    Foucault and Philosophy presents a collection of essays from leading international philosophers and Foucault scholars that explore Foucault’s work as a philosopher in relation to philosophers who were important to him and in the context of important themes and problems in contemporary philosophy Represents the only volume to explore in detail Foucault’s relation with key figures and movements in the history of philosophy Explores Foucault's influence upon contemporary and future directions in ph…Read more
  •  31
    Dirty Harry Ethics
    Substance 45 (3): 49-65. 2016.
    The former Bush administration in the United States was accused by some at the time of exhibiting a “Dirty Harry ethics.” The charge here is that the administration showed a willingness to depart from many standard ethical constraints in its response to terrorism, on the principle that the end, preventing further terrorist attacks, justified any means, including preventive war and torture. What this also suggests is that Don Siegel’s 1971 crime thriller Dirty Harry has become synonymous in the p…Read more
  • A Companion to Foucault (edited book)
    Wiley-Blackwell. 2013.
  •  55
    Why be moral?
    In Paisley Livingston & Carl Plantinga (eds.), The Routledge Companion to Philosophy and Film, Routledge. 2008.
    In philosophical discourse, one way of considering the question of why we should be moral has been through hypothetical scenarios in which being moral becomes an option, rather than simply a given. Most of the time, shaped as we are by our upbringing and culture, we do the right thing without giving it much thought. But when faced with a situation where we can do anything, no matter how wicked, without fear of punishment, or where doing the wrong thing seems more rewarding than doing the right t…Read more
  •  42
    Sartre: Freedom as Imprisonment
    Philosophy Today 47 (2): 126-137. 2003.
  •  2
    Foucault and Social Dialogue; Beyond Fragmentation is a compelling yet extremely clear investigation of these options and offers a new way forward. Christopher Falzon argues that the proper alternative to foundationalism is not fragmentation but dialogue and that such a dialogical picture can be found in the work of Michel Foucault. Such a reading of Foucault allows us to see, for the first time, the ethical and political position implicit in Foucault's work and how his work contributes to the l…Read more
  •  25
    At the philosophical level, Nausea is a text that purports to shake off all presuppositions in order to confront things as they really are - meaningless, contingent and nauseating. In this, Sartre not only enacts a kind of philosophical critique of ordinary presuppositions, but also seeks to distance himself from certain philosophical positions. However, Nausea's view of the world as meaningless arguably reflects certain philosophical presuppositions of its own, notably a very demanding standard…Read more