Media

[lulie]

What are the best movies, TV programmes, books (fiction and non-fiction), and songs/music, with philosophical content? (Or if they're just really good. But if they're really good, they should have philosophical content.) Examples: Iron Man, House, Atlas Shrugged, Conjectures & Refutations. List all the most awesome stuff you've found.

Comments

[l1berty]

Orwell.

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. (Not exactly Randian, but still has philosophical content.)

G&S. (Of those you haven't seen, I recommend The Sorcerer and maybe The Gondoliers, but you ought to see the others again.)

Shakespeare. (Try Henry V; Hamlet; Macbeth.)

I would recommend some (more) music, but I can't see how music can be more/less 'philosophical'. How would that be different from more/less good?

Ditto on My Name is Earl. :3

[lulie]

What sort of philosophical content does For Whom ... have?

What is good about Shakespeare?

Music: Bad philosophy: Wagner. Good philosophy: Rush (read the lyrics of their The Trees). Too bad Rush is a bit, um, well I wouldn't put that band on a list of excellent music. Or, I might. I should listen to them more. Good: uplifting, good stuff. Bad: music based on the idea that music is subjective, like avant-garde.

[shadowspinner]

I am curious as to what specifically you think is bad about Shakespeare? Or indeed as to whether the implication of your question is that there is nothing good about Shakespeare, and therefore in your view everything about his work is bad. Am I reading too much into this? ^^;;

[lulie]

I didn't say there was anything bad about Shakespeare, but I assumed that he's a bit old hat these days. I mean, presumably we've progressed a lot and know much better how to write stories now. And it's not like there was much in the way of good philosophy in those days.

[l1berty]

Literature hasn't improved much since we dropped all our traditions. :-P And if Shakespeare is 'old hat', Bach and Mozart aren't even worth remembering.

Is there much in the way of good philosophy THESE days? At least Shakespeare knows that morality is objective. There is some really nice discussion of war ethics/patriotism/royalty in Henry V. Hamlet has good general discussion about how/whether one should live. And the language is awesome. This is the language that philosophy should be written in.

[l1berty]

How to live. The nature of life/people. General wonders of life. Seem to remember the main character soliloquising a lot about his moral responsibilities or something. It's good, anyway.

Have you even heard any Wagner? >>

So I'm right in thinking that better music = music that has more/better philosophical content. OK. Rossini and Donizetti comedies are quite 'uplifting' and generally bouncy. And IMO a bit better than modern music in that musicians/singers have to be at the very top of their careers before they can make a production that sells well. They have to be really, really good at what they do.

I doubt that Rush is actually good musically.