The Departed Philosophy

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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”.

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