How can we know what it’s like to be someone else? Classical Indian philosophers found the answer in theater, arguing that it’s not just a form of entertainment, but a source of knowledge of other minds. In this talk, I’ll explore how this theme is developed in Śrī Śaṅkuka (c. 850 CE) and examine the reasons his views were rejected in the later tradition. I’ll argue that those reasons are unsound, and that we can see why by turning to contemporary studies of the relationship between knowledge and luck.
Jonardon Ganeri is the Bimal. K. Matilal Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. He is a philosopher whose work draws on a variety of philosophical traditions to construct new positions in the philosophy of mind, metaphysics and epistemology. His books include Attention, Not Self (2017), a study of early Buddhist theories of attention; The Concealed Art of the Soul (2012), an analysis of the idea of a search for one’s true self; Virtual Subjects, Fugitive Selves (2020), an analysis of Fernando Pessoa’s philosophy of self; and Inwardness: An Outsiders’ Guide (2021), a review of the concept of inwardness in literature, film, poetry, and philosophy across cultures. He joined the Fellowship of the British Academy in 2015, and won the Infosys Prize in the Humanities the same year, the only philosopher to do so.
This series is curated and co-presented by Brooklyn Public Philosophers, aka Ian Olasov.
General Description:
This semester, the Philosophy Film Club at The New School is hosting a series of films to consider the notion of founding myths — the inspiring, frightening, and defining speculative fictions that ground our sense of belonging to place, community, and a way of life. Each screening will begin and conclude with a discussion facilitated by a member of the NSSR Philosophy Department. In the spirit of community, all are welcome!
Philosophy Film Club hosts a screening of the post-
apocalyptic drama Mad Max: Fury Road directed by George Miller. Join us for a screening and post-film discussion of this style-redefining vision of a future “in which men have become the pawns of insane leaders and women hold fiercely onto [while fighting fiercely for] the last vestiges of hope.”
Location: Bark Room (M104), Sheila C. Johnson Design Center (ground floor), 2 W. 13th Street at Fifth Avenue
For more information or to be added to the mailing list, email: veronica@newschool.edu
The Philosophy Film Club at The New School is hosting a screening of ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ (dir. Martin McDonagh), with pre- and post-film discussion facilitated by James Trybendins, PhD Student in Philosophy.
In the spirit of community, all are invited to the Spring 2023 film screening series hosted by the Philosophy Film Club at The New School. Everyone — whether seasoned in philosophy or without any prior philosophical training — with an interest in philosophy, film, and/or conversation about the meaning of what we experience is welcome! Each screening will begin and conclude with a discussion facilitated by a member of the NSSR Philosophy Department. Snacks and beverages also provided.
For more information or to be added to the mailing list, email: veronica@newschool.edu
The Philosophy Film Club at The New School is hosting a screening of ‘Millennium Actress’ (dir. Satoshi Kon).
You are invited to join us in squaring this gorgeously animated circle, as we explore questions of memory, perspective, and narrative. Pre- and post-film discussion will be facilitated by none other than PJ Gorre (Director of Curricular Affairs + Implementation at Parsons and PhD Candidate in Philosophy).
This semester, an international lineup will take us on cosmic, labyrinthine, miraculous journeys; if that sounds hyperbolic, just wait. Those compelled by form will find ample meta-cinematic gristle, while those wishing to dive into content will meet oceans for us to navigate.
Everyone — whether seasoned in philosophy or without any prior philosophical training — with an interest in philosophy, film, and/or conversation about the meaning of what we experience is welcome! Each screening will begin and conclude with a discussion facilitated by a member of the NSSR Philosophy Department. Snacks and beverages always provided.
Future Screenings:
La Flor’ Part 3 (dir. Mariano Llinás), with guest facilitator Dr. Miguel Paley (Fordham University), on Friday, October 20, 2023
‘Stalker (dir. Andrei Tarkovsky), with guest facilitator Olga Knizhnik (PhD Candidate, Philosophy) on Friday, November 12, 2023
Location:
Bark Room (M104), Sheila C. Johnson Design Center (ground floor), 68 5 Ave (2 W. 13th Street at Fifth Avenue entrance)
For more information or to be added to the mailing list, email: veronica@newschool.edu
The Philosophy Film Club at The New School is hosting a screening of Part 3 of ‘La Flor’ (dir. Mariano Llinás).
By way of introduction, a few words from our guest facilitator Dr. Miguel Paley (Fordham University):
“Hello all! For my session I’ve chosen to talk about the movie La Flor, a personal favorite! This amazing movie is a bit unusual though, it has 6 standalone parts which altogether end up totaling just over 14 hours (insane I know!). Since we obviously can’t watch it all together, I encourage everyone to watch the movie little by little a month or a few weeks before we meet. The movie is great and you won’t regret it!
(The movie is available to watch here and you can get some info about it here.
Looking forward to seeing everyone! -Miguel”
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This semester, an international lineup will take us on cosmic, labyrinthine, miraculous journeys; if that sounds hyperbolic, just wait. Those compelled by form will find ample meta-cinematic gristle, while those wishing to dive into content will meet oceans for us to navigate.
Everyone — whether seasoned in philosophy or without any prior philosophical training — with an interest in philosophy, film, and/or conversation about the meaning of what we experience is welcome! Each screening will begin and conclude with a discussion facilitated by a member of the NSSR Philosophy Department. Snacks and beverages always provided.
Future Screening:
‘Stalker (dir. Andrei Tarkovsky), with guest facilitator Olga Knizhnik (PhD Candidate, Philosophy) on Friday, November 12, 2023
Bark Room (M104), Sheila C. Johnson Design Center (ground floor), 68 5 Ave (2 W. 13th Street at Fifth Avenue entrance)
For more information or to be added to the mailing list, email: veronica@newschool.edu
The Philosophy Film Club at The New School is hosting a screening of ‘Stalker’ (dir. Andrei Tarkovsky).
You are warmly invited to join us for a screening + discussion of “the movie we need right now” (per Salon), an immersion into “undistracted contemplation” that “abounds with moments of baffling beauty and philosophical heft within its vast finitude.” Our esteemed colleague Olga Knizhnik (PhD Candidate in Philosophy) will help facilitate our pre- and post-film discussion.
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This semester, an international lineup will take us on cosmic, labyrinthine, miraculous journeys; if that sounds hyperbolic, just wait. Those compelled by form will find ample meta-cinematic gristle, while those wishing to dive into content will meet oceans for us to navigate.
Everyone — whether seasoned in philosophy or without any prior philosophical training — with an interest in philosophy, film, and/or conversation about the meaning of what we experience is welcome! Each screening will begin and conclude with a discussion facilitated by a member of the NSSR Philosophy Department. Snacks and beverages always provided.
Location:
Bark Room (M104), Sheila C. Johnson Design Center (ground floor), 68 5 Ave (2 W. 13th Street at Fifth Avenue entrance)
For more information or to be added to the mailing list, email: veronica@newschool.edu
The Philosophy Film Club and Liberal Studies present a screening of Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket (1959) and discussion led by Robert Pippin (U Chicago).
Generally considered one of Bresson’s greatest works, Pickpocket tells an “incomparable story of crime and redemption … A cornerstone of the career of this most economical and profoundly spiritual of filmmakers, Pickpocket is an elegantly crafted, tautly choreographed study of humanity in all its mischief and grace, the work of a director at the height of his powers” (Criterion Collection).
Robert B. Pippin is the Evelyn Stefansson Nef Distinguished Service Professor in the Committee on Social Thought, the Department of Philosophy, and the College at the University of Chicago. He is the author of several books and articles on German idealism and later German philosophy, including Filmed Thought: Cinema as Reflective Form (University of Chicago Press, 2020), Metaphysical Exile: On J. M. Coetzee’s Jesus Fictions (Oxford University Press, 2021), Philosophy by Other Means: The Arts in Philosophy and Philosophy in the Arts (University of Chicago Press, 2021), and most recently, The Culmination: Heidegger, German Idealism, and the Fate of Philosophy (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2024).