UNR brings philosophical reflection to campus

[Le Cric De Coeurs]

The Greek philosopher Socrates once said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” For the students and faculty of the University of Nevada, Reno, the philosophical documentary “Examined Life” re-examines the basic ideologies of life, community, and humanity.

The film was presented in two showings at the Joe Crowley Student Theater on March 24, with over 200 people in attendance.

Directed by Astra Taylor and distributed by Zeitgeist Films, “Examined Life” brings an alternative perspective to today’s consumerism, consumption and daily lives.

“Examined Life emphasizes the ethics and social/political philosophies in recent years,” said Deborah Achtenberg, Philosophy Department Chair at the University of Nevada, Reno. “It also emphasizes the values of social responsibility and personal needs.”

The independent film is due to air between Feb. and Nov. of 2009. Critics have received the documentary warmly, yet its impact is uncertain among the producers.

“We don’t know where this film is going to land, or who it’s going to shake up,” said Avital Ronell, a philosopher featured in “Examined Life.”

The film features the ideologies of many renowned philosophical minds. “The Examined Life” includes the commentary of Kwame Anthony Appiah, Judith Butler, Michael Hardt, Marsha Nussbaum, Avital Ronell, Peter Singer, Sunaura Taylor, Cornel West and Slavoj Zizek.

West makes the assertion that philosophy is a means of re-examining and redefining ourselves. That process can be both enlightening and terrifying.

“What happens when your beliefs are called into question?” West said. “What happens when you redefine yourself by redefining your beliefs? Philosophy is the courage to love, the courage to think, and the courage to hope. A man who can peer into the darkest confines of his soul is braver than a soldier on any battlefield.”

The process of questioning the world around us can be a sensitive issue, particularly for those who are firm believers in their ideals. As history has shown, scrutinizing traditional ideologies is not always well received.

“When Socrates asked people what is justice, they thought they knew what justice was,” Singer said. “Yet when he questioned their reasoning and undermined their values through logic, he was charged with corrupting the youth and forced to drink hemlock. Fortunately, they don’t do this to philosophers today, but the same principle applies. Pursuing ethics undermines morals, which has a significant impact on people.”

Each philosopher in the film brings philosophical insight to many areas surrounding culture, capitalism and life. Ronell, her wooden sandals and Chinese tunic giving her a Confucian appearance, discussed the meaning behind our actions.

“I’m very suspicious philosophically and historically about the purpose of meaning,” Ronell said. “It’s something we’re in constant negotiation with. When we see this dog at play, do we think of the meaning, or the reason why? Or do we accept the arbitrary actions as merely part of our reality with no meaning.”

Although the meaning behind individual actions may not always be present, the purpose of living is still a question analyzed by philosophers.

“We make our lives meaningful when we connect ourselves with an issue and contributing to that,” Singer said. “Thus, by living, we help out and contribute in some small way.”

The problem today is pursuing meaning in a society that holds differing views of responsibility and community. In an age where technology and progress both isolate and bind people, the societal model is redefined.

“We are good at dealing with our children, our spouses, our parents, and our cousins,” Appiah said. “But in today’s culture, we have to be responsible for complete strangers, fellow humans. We see more people in an airport today than our ancestors would have seen in a lifetime. That’s today’s burden of responsibility.”

The diversity of today’s beliefs and ideals is great, yet Appiah believes in cosmopolitanism, the idea that all humans belong to one moral community. Despite the differences in ideologies, compromise and cooperation is not impossible.

“One thing people talk about these days is the difference and conflict of values between people, and that these values are irreconcilable,” Appiah said. “Cosmopolitanism is learning to compromise with not only our local community, but the global community as well.”

Achieving these ideals may be desirable, yet their acquisition is fleeting.

“The responsible being is one who thinks they never have been responsible enough,” said Ronell. “The minute you think you know the other is the minute you know nothing.”

[Deidre]

This sounds like a fascinating and thought-provoking film. Your story does a nice job of summing up the major points of Taylor's project.