I thought this bumper sticker was a great one for epistemology. How do we know what we know? How do we know that all we have learned isn't false? Overcoming brain washing is similar to Bacon's Idol of the Theatre. Aristocrats and authority figures have told us what to believe from a young age, but that doesn't mean that what they say is true. How do we know that all the information they have been feeding us is not a lie? We may think we are safe from brainwashing, but how do we really know? Jack in Fight Club starts off the movie talking about how he has been brainwashed to be a consumer. By realizing that society has shaped his thoughts to buy Ikea furniture, Jack first starts to find the truth. Once he has torn himself from "societal laws" altogether, Jack finally finds the truth to life, and he un-washes his brain.
I would also like to add two films that have philosophical issues worth exploring.
ReplyDeleteThe first is V for Vendetta. This movie touches on ethics a lot, particularly utilitarianism. There are two counteracting scenes that portray utilitarianism in opposing lights. One is the Dr's diary scene, and the other is one of the last scenes where Evey has a choice to start the train full of explosives.
The second movie is The Lion King. This movie somehow related to almost every topic we covered in class. It specifically relates to the existence of God, life after death, personal identity, and ethics.