Philosophical Concepts in Film: The Search for Happiness Course/Class June 24, 2011

Many philosophers from Plato, Aristotle, to Kant, Nietzsche, Russell, Wittgenstein and Ayer, among many others, have reflected on the relationship between happiness and unhappiness. It is not uncommon to see a number of their ideas, for example, on happiness, contentment or suffering represented in popular film. One need only think of recent films like Black Swan, the Matrix trilogy, Inception, Alice in Wonderland, The Kings Speech and True Grit, as well as unforgettable classics like Modern Times, Its a Wonderful Life, Gone with the Wind, Clockwork Orange, Le Plaisir, La Dolce Vita, Citizen Kane, The Big Lebowski and ET, among others. We shall explore the relevance and force of these ideas in modern cinema.Many philosophers from Plato, Aristotle, to Kant, Nietzsche, Russell, Wittgenstein and Ayer, among many others, have reflected on the relationship between happiness and unhappiness. It is not uncommon to see a number of their ideas, for example, on happiness, contentment or suffering represented in popular film. One need only think of recent films like Black Swan, the Matrix trilogy, Inception, Alice in Wonderland, The Kings Speech and True Grit, as well as unforgettable classics like Modern Times, Its a Wonderful Life, Gone with the Wind, Clockwork Orange, Le Plaisir, La Dolce Vita, Citizen Kane, The Big Lebowski and ET, among others. We shall explore the relevance and force of these ideas in modern cinema. Details of this event may be subject to change. Please visit http://www.cce.usyd.edu.au/course/PCFH for more information or to register.

Official Website: http://www.cce.usyd.edu.au/course/pcfh