Philosophy in The Departed Philosophy is at the center of human thinking and everyday life, whether one is consciously recognizing it or not. Philosophy fosters critical thinking and provides a structure so one can think and answer basic questions about life on their own accord. The Departed uses several different philosophical theories throughout the film to develop the characters and the plot. These philosophies include Authenticity versus Bad faith, Nietzche’s doctrine of The Will to Power, and Martin Heidegger’s Being-Toward-Death. In the film The Departed there are several characters who have the moral dilemma of authenticity versus bad faith. Authenticity “consists in choosing in a way which reflects the nature of the for-itself as …show more content…
Defined by dictionary.com, “departed” means deceased or one who is deceased. Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time states that “therefore the awareness and acceptance of death is a requirement for authentic existence.” (Krell). With all the deaths, many character’s behavior mirrors that of their true personality. Heidegger explains to his audience that one cannot live life with fear of death, one needs to enjoy what they have and make the most of their time of mortality. Frank Costello says to a patron in his restaurant “We all are, act accordingly”. He is referring to the fact that everyone will die and we need to recognize it. Costello reinforces his words with his reckless behavior. Later in the film when confronting his informant Colin Sullivan, he says “One of us has to die. With me, it tends to be the other guy.”. This shows that Costello is more than willing to put his life on the line for his endeavors. He is referring to Sullivan’s inability to find the rat that has infiltrated his mob. Another character that has come to terms with death is Billy Costigan. He was sent to prison to earn credibility before infiltrating Costello’s gang as an undercover informant. During his time in prison he would be sitting with some of the most dangerous people in the state, he says “you sit there with a mass murderer. A mass murderer. Your heart rate is jacked, and your hand steady. That's one thing I figured out about myself in prison. My hand does not shake... ever.”. Costigan does not fear death, he acts like he would in the streets of Boston, although he may be terrified on the inside, he is calm and collected on the outside. Costigan does not alter his actions because of his fear of death. Colin Sullivan does not change his personality in the precedent of death. He is loyal to the mob and rather than give anyone in the mob he tells Costigan to “Just fucking kill me”.
The presence of death in the novel looms over the characters, making each of them reflect on the
to try to understand what sort of man Meursault is - a task that we
The 1999 film, The Matrix, shows many philosophical instances. Comparing this film to Plato’s The Republic: The Allegory of the Cave, and Descartes’ First Meditation on Philosophy allows one to gain a deeper understanding of the work. Reality is a concept that may be vague to many people due to their given circumstances. The environment and the mind a person is in allows for different perceptions of reality. The power of reality falls in the eyes of the beholder. As shown in The Matrix, Neo was not the One until he believed he was, which can percept into everyday life; how someone thinks can affect how someone is.
For each of us, death is a subject that not only fascinates, but creates fear in our hearts as well. Death is something we avoid in our minds with the hope that it will not touch us. As a society we all fear death; especially in violent cases, which occur naturally and arise through the unusual forces in our society. When such an event takes place we want revenge. In Dead Man Walking, the parents of the murdered girl are left with so much anger that they verbally attack Sister Helen Prejean, when they find out she is still on Matthew Poncelet’s side.
...hentic existence due to their refusal to constantly acknowledge death. Thus, Bergman takes these existing philosophies and uses them to create a new set of values for the human response to death.
Although death seems to be a theme for many literary poems, it also appears to be the most difficult to express clearly. Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “death” as, “A permanent cessation of all vital function: end of life.” While this definition sounds simple enough, a writer’s definition goes way beyond the literal meaning. Edwin Arlington Robinson and Robert Frost are just two examples of poetic writers who have used death successfully as the main theme of their works. Robinson, in the poem “Richard Cory,” and Frost in his poem, “Home Burial,” present death in different ways in order to invoke different feelings and emotions from their readers.
With such great minds and an awesome influence that seems boundless, how can there not be references to the works of Thomas Hobbes and Immanuel Kant. The Fundamental Principles in the Metaphysics of Morality is used by the minority dissenting opinion to reiterate the concepts of the intrinsic dignity of man. While the majority uses the literary work the Leviathan to support their own opinions. Transforming and uplifting the case of Gregg v. Georgia into an arena for a debate of Hobbian and Kant philosophies.
Philosopher Robert Nozick believes in the entitlement theory. The entitlement theory states that, “A person who acquires a holding in accordance with the principle of justice in acquisition is entitled to that holding...A person who acquires a holding in accordance with the principle of justice in transfer, from someone else entitled to the holding, is entitled to the holding…No one is entitled to a holding except by (repeated) applications of 1 and 2” (NOTES).
Why Dylan Thomas and Emily Dickinson used a theme of death in their poem and what are the effects of the metaphorical expressions.
“I don't want to survive. I want to live.” This fairly popular quote can also serve as a summary of Gabriel Conroy’s character in James Joyce’s short story “The Dead." As we read, we see the toll that monotony has taken on Gabriel and, by the end, he sees it as well. This realization is coupled with another, much darker, realization: the inevitability of death. We see signs of these ideas sprinkled throughout the story, from the predictability of the guests to Gabriel’s constant anxiety when talking to the other guests and his long for an escape. These occurrences come to a head when, upon reaching their hotel, Gabriel’s wife Gretta tells him of the boy who didn’t want to live without her, and who died to see her. This story leaves Gabriel with a sudden understanding of love, life, and death, that changes his way of thinking about everyone, including himself.
Philosophical skepticism questions the nature of reality, where what is real is always at conflict with the imagination. This is manifested in the movie where the reality of the world is one where people are physically at war with the machines that are intent on destroying them, and then there is the imaginative where the people are connected to a virtual world where they experience a simulated existence and where things are relatively normal. In the simulated world, what they perceive is processed as normal, and when they are disconnected from their virtual state, the shock of what is real is almost too much for them to comprehend, especially after the initial awakening.
A classical point of departure in defining Death, seems to be Life itself. Death is perceived either as a cessation of Life - or as a "transit zone", on the way to a continuation of Life by other means.
Is there such a thing as free will, what is the relationship between mind and body, and the true difference between right and wrong are a few questions about human existence that have plagued philosophers and average men alike since the days of Socrates and Aristotle. While not everyone may pay these questions much attention, there is one philosophical thought that has probably crossed the mind of every human at some point in time, and that is the concept of death and what happens after. There are widespread thoughts about what happens postmortem which range from the idea of immortality during the days of the ancient Greeks to the belief in reincarnation that is associated with many Eastern religions. These beliefs, along with others similar to them, provide some with a sort of safety net because they know that their essence (soul, spirit, etc.) will continue to exist after they pass. That being said, not everyone shares these opinions and for some the idea of death can be frightening. Don DeLillo’s novel White Noise examines this fear through Jack Gladney and several other characters. While the novel does not offer any answers, it does stimulate thought regarding death in modern society and how it should be handled. Although many of the characters try to do things such as ignore or embrace their fear in order to get it off their minds, Jack cannot shake his angst, all of which mirroring the various reactions people in today’s society have regarding death.
Authenticity could present itself as one of the predominant examples of affirmative culture. This makes authenticity an even greater example of affirmative culture than the soul; the soul was at least concerned with ethical behavior to others.50 Authenticity and affirmative culture glorify resignation; irreplaceable, indistinguishable man is put above all social and natural distinctions.51 To be authentic, one does not even have to do this; a torturer can justify himself on being an authentic torturer.52 Authenticity arises at a time when affirmative culture began it's self abolition; every sphere of one's life is subject to intense discipline.53 With no escape, the authentic self represents the ultimate, self-destructive withdrawal and dialectically, the prime illustration of affirmative culture. Authenticity has become the perfect example of affirmative culture.
At first, the connection between philosophy and death is not clear. However, as we unravel