Morality and the Movies: Reading Ethics Through Film - Paperback

by Dan Shaw (Author)

Morality and the Movies presents the ideal introduction to philosophical ethics for film lovers. Dan Shaw uses a series of sixteen popular films, including Hotel Rwanda, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, A Clockwork Orange, Dead Man Walking and Full Metal Jacket, to illustrate all the major ethical theories and key contemporary moral issues. The book provides a brief summary and philosophical interpretation of each film, with reference throughout to primary philosophical sources. A unique pedagogical feature is that each chapter begins with a five-step summary of the theoretical position in question and a critical evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses through a specific film. Topics covered include:

- divine authority
- the social contract
- moral relativism
- virtue ethics
- freedom and determinism
- euthanasia
- capital punishment
- war and terrorism
- abortion
- business ethics

Ideal for undergraduate students coming to philosophical ethics for the first time, this book utilizes popular film to introduce a central topic in the study of philosophy.

Author Biography

Dan Shaw is Professor of Philosophy and Film at Lock Haven University, USA. He is the managing editor of the journal Film and Philosophy, co-editor (with Steven Schneider) of Dark Thoughts: Philosophic Reflections on Horror Films (2003) and author of Film and Philosophy: Taking Movies Seriously (2008).