This is a Philosophy and Film course.

Here is a writing assignment–the aim is to read carefully the assigned texts and understand them by summarizing the key argument of each in short order and relate one of them to one of the movies assigned.

Films: Text Selections:

John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) Girard, Social Chaos and Scapegoating

Stephen Prince, Horror and Taboo

The Wicker Man (1973) Euripides, The Bacchae

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (1962) Hobbes, The State of Nature and Social

Contract

Kierkegaard, The Present Age

Here’s what I want you to do:
Write about 1/2 of a page each for the following 3 questions:

What is the nature and function of sacrifice in Girard’s account of primitive social order?
What is Hobbes’ view of the natural condition of human beings? What makes the sovereign power necessary and how does it come about?
What would you say is the main point of Kierkegaard’s The Present Age?

Then pick one of the movies and show which theory you think is most related to it, and why?

Solution Preview

Philosophy and Film Discussion
What is the nature and function of sacrifice in Girard’s account of primitive social order?
Rene Girard’s account of primitive social order considers sacrifice as the earliest form of religious and cultural institution in the humankind history. His theory argues that sacrifice, which entailed killing individuals is the original form of scapegoating murder. As such, Girard argues that ancient communities commemorated peace by killing some community members through sacrifice. Girard’s theory claims that rituals promoted sacrificial substitution as some communities began to sacrifice animals instead of people. Thus, the domestication of animals was driven by the desire to stop sacrificing people to religious deities. Additionally, Girard claims that while sacrifices were real events in people’s history,

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This is a Philosophy and Film course. ​