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1Star Trek: The Next Generation as Philosophy: Gene Roddenberry’s Argument for HumanismIn David Kyle Johnson (ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of Popular Culture as Philosophy, Palgrave-macmillan. pp. 65-92. 2022.Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG, 1987–1994) is a very close second to Star Trek (TOS, 1966–1969) in the hearts and minds of fans of televised science fiction. Although both series are examples of space opera that focus on the exploration of the cosmos by a group of Starfleet officers and their crew, TNG is notably different in execution. It explores the interests and backgrounds of its ensemble cast more thoroughly, for example. It also entertains inter-season story arcs and fleshes out the …Read more
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10Doctor Who as Philosophy: Four-Dimensionalism and Time TravelIn David Kyle Johnson (ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of Popular Culture as Philosophy, Palgrave-macmillan. pp. 135-161. 2022.Doctor Who is the longest-running science fiction program on television, having been in continuous production between 1963 and 1989. “Classic” Doctor Who was widely syndicated around the world and appeared to many US viewers on their local Public Broadcasting System channel. The show was rebooted with continuity to the original program on BBC One in 2005. The success of the show rests on the appeal of its central character and his/her traveling companions, the creativity of its bizarre locations…Read more
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5Alien and Philosophy: I Infest, Therefore I Am (edited book)Wiley. 2017.Alien and Philosophy: I Infest, Therefore I Am presents a philosophical exploration of the world of Alien, the simultaneously horrifying and thought-provoking sci-fi horror masterpiece, and the film franchise it spawned. The first book dedicated to exploring the philosophy raised by one of the most successful and influential sci-fi franchises of modern times Features contributions from an acclaimed team of scholars of philosophy and pop culture, led by highly experienced volume editors Explores …Read more
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10“The Human Adventure Is Just Beginning”: Star Trek's Secular SocietyIn Kevin S. Decker & Jason T. Eberl (eds.), The Ultimate Star Trek and Philosophy, Wiley. 2016-03-14.This chapter reviews Star Trek's course in wrestling with issues of political and social secularization. Any debate about secularization is a set of arguments about the best relationship between religious beliefs and institutions on the one hand, and political, social, and economic structures on the other. The chapter provides several moral arguments as to why liberal democracies like the United States should pursue greater secularism in the future. A popular but particularly unhelpful way of fr…Read more
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13Han SoloIn Jason T. Eberl & Kevin S. Decker (eds.), Star Wars and Philosophy Strikes Back, Wiley. 2023-01-09.Han Solo‐orphan, laconically cool Corellian smuggler, Rebel general, and martyr for the Resistance, is one of the most‐loved characters in the Star Wars universe. His emotional and moral development throughout the original trilogy into a trusted friend, Leia's lover, and a warrior for Rebel values is inspiring. In the sequel trilogy, he's returned to smuggling and reluctantly re‐assumes the mantle of father to Ben Solo, an alienated and ultimately patricidal son, but even death fails to stop him…Read more
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5Something Terribly FlawedIn Fritz Allhoff & Robert Arp (eds.), Tattoos – Philosophy for Everyone, Wiley‐blackwell. 2012-04-06.This chapter contains sections titled: A Bad Sign? Pictures of the Future on Your Skin Never a Tattooed Man Like This Tattoos and Human Nature Covered with Rare and Significant Beauties Creativity, Creativity, Creativity Can't You Recognize the Human in the Inhuman?
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4The Identity of Avatars and Na'vi WisdomIn George A. Dunn (ed.), Avatar and Philosophy, Wiley. 2014-09-02.In avatar, Jake Sully struggles with his sense of self at a variety of levels, including the metaphysical. In Plato's and Aristotle's book Philosophy in the Flesh, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson call this shared conjecture the “folk theory of essences.” In Avatar, the presuppositions about personal identity that ground the linkage process between human beings and avatar bodies seems to follow Locke's insights quite faithfully. This way of talking about the essential self challenges the bodyswapp…Read more
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5Thatched Cottages at CordevilleIn Dune and Philosophy, Wiley. 2022-10-17.Both Georg W.F. Hegel and Martin Heidegger would find the lack of art in Frank Herbert's distant future more disturbing than merely the loss of technique and beauty. The experience of truth through art is to see the elements of the artwork of Thatched Cottages at Cordeville not with the same eyes as if we were walking by this scene in person. The point of Cottages at Cordeville the Duniverse version of this painting owned by Taraza, Mother Superior Odrade, and then Sheeana – as revealing a truth…Read more
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7ContagionIn Jeffrey Ewing & Kevin S. Decker (eds.), Alien and Philosophy, Wiley. 2017-06-23.The dystopian elements of the Alien films display the dark side of social mechanisms. Modern philosophy is not exempt from the temptations of this “authoritarian synthesis”. It also responds to the themes of impurity, whether through religious heresy, mental illness, or bodily invasion or corruption. In the shooting script for Alien, it is clear that Ripley has been “infected” by the Xenomorph Facehugger in the pod; on screen, that fact is held from us until much later in the film for dramatic e…Read more
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12Dark Times: The end of the Republic and the Beginning of Chinese PhilosophyIn Jason T. Eberl & Kevin S. Decker (eds.), The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy, Wiley. 2015-09-18.The currents of philosophy have always been influenced by the culture in which thinkers live and work. In ancient China, the profound turmoil that eventually tore apart the Zhou dynasty led to social and intellectual unrest, out of which was born a new class of writers and thinkers who created the foundations for Chinese philosophy. There are historical and philosophical parallels with this Chinese time of uprooting in the “Dark Times” of the Star Wars universe. Few Jedi survive through the Dark…Read more
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8Sitting Downtown at Kentucky Fried ChickenIn Robert Arp & Kevin S. Decker (eds.), The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy, Wiley. 2013-08-26.Like many episodes of South Park, “Medicinal Fried Chicken” drags real political scenarios into the cold, hard light of the Rocky Mountains. In this chapter, the author aims at challenging the received interpretation of the moral message behind “Medicinal Fried Chicken” and many other South Park episodes, the message that legislating lifestyles is immoral at worst and ridiculous at best. This message is encapsulated by the moral perspective known of libertarianism, which takes individual rights …Read more
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9Introduction “Well, I'm Afraid It's About to Happen Again”In Robert Arp & Kevin S. Decker (eds.), The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy, Wiley. 2013-08-26.This chapter provides an introduction to The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy. South Park is one of the most important series on TV, because the show isn't afraid to lampoon the extremist fanatics that are associated with any social, ethical, economical, or religious position. This is extremely important and necessary in our diverse society of free and autonomous persons who hold a plurality of beliefs and values. Fanatics usually stop thinking issues through and, ultimately, they're primed to…Read more
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5Thank God It's Stephen Colbert!In William Irwin (ed.), The Ultimate Daily Show and Philosophy, Wiley. 2013.This chapter examines the sense of irony along with the parallels between the persona of “Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report” and the character of the “ironist” discussed both by philosophical Romantics in the nineteenth century as well as the American philosopher Richard Rorty (1931–2007). For both Colbert and Rorty, irony can be funny and refreshing, and yet at the same time represents a challenge to our beliefs. The chapter looks at the differences between verbal irony and its more robust …Read more
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19Star Wars and philosophy strikes back: this is the way (edited book)Wiley-Blackwell. 2023.This third brand-new 'Star Wars & Philosophy' title once again takes a fresh look at the franchise with all-new chapters. The focus of this volume is the more recent entries into the franchise, including hit TV shows such as THe Mandalorian. Modern applied philosophy is also used to analyse the Star Wars universe: In addition to thorny metaphysical questions about the nature of time and free will, this volume highlights the staggering cultural impact of George Lucas's universe. The newest Star W…Read more
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406Gallifrey Falls No More: Doctor Who’s Ontology of TimeJournal of Science Fiction and Philosophy 2 1-21. 2019.Despite being time-travel adventure series, both classic Doctor Who (1963-1989, 1996) and its reboot (2005-present) have not seen the development of a coherent ontology of time for their fictional universe. As such, it is extremely difficult to review established theories of the nature of time in an attempt to shoe-horn Doctor Who into an existing framework. Difficulties include the evolution of the views of the central character, the alien “Doctor,” from a position that insists “time can’t be r…Read more
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22Star Wars: The Force AwakensPhilosophy Now 115 48-50. 2016.Philosophical review of themes in 'Star Wars - Episode VII: The Force Awakens' by the co-editors of 'Star Wars and Philosophy' and 'The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy.'
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22Philosophy and Breaking Bad (edited book)Palgrave Macmillan. 2016.This volume considers the numerous philosophical ideas and arguments found in and inspired by the critically acclaimed series Breaking Bad. This show garnered both critical and popular attention for its portrayal of a cancer-stricken, middle-aged, middle-class, high school chemistry teacher’s drift into the dark world of selling methamphetamine to support his family. Its characters, situations, and aesthetic raise serious and familiar philosophical issues, especially related to ethics and morali…Read more
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26The Evolution of the Psychical Element, by George Herbert MeadTransactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 44 (3): 480-507. 2008.George Herbert Mead's lectures at the University of Chicago are more important to understanding Mead's views on social psychology than some commentators, such as Hans Joas, have emphasized. Mead's 1898-99 lecture series, preserved through the notes of his student H. Heath Bawden, demonstrate his devotion to Hegelianism as a method of thinking and how this influenced his non-reductive approach to functionalist psychology. In addition, Mead's breadth of historical knowledge and his commitments in …Read more
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Introduction to 'The Evolution of the Psychical Element' by George Herbert MeadTransactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 44 (3): 469-479. 2008.
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Eastern Washington UniversityProfessor
Areas of Specialization
American Philosophy |
American Pragmatism |
Aesthetics |
Normative Ethics |
Film and Television |
Areas of Interest
American Philosophy |
American Pragmatism |
Aesthetics |
Normative Ethics |
Film and Television |