PHIL 421 (M1) - Philosophy and the Arts

Philosophy and the Arts

Manchester Liberal Arts::Philosophy
Credits: 4.0
Class Size: 20 
Term:  Fall 2024 - Full Term (08/26/2024 - 12/09/2024)
CRN:  16392
Grade Mode:  Letter Grading
Contemporary philosophic concerns and perspectives as reflected in one or more of the arts (literature, theatre, film, music, plastic art).
Registration Approval Required. Contact Instructor or Academic Department for permission then register through Webcat.
Equivalent(s):  PHIL 421H
Attributes:  Writing Intensive Course, Inquiry (Discovery), Fine&PerformingArts(Discovery)
Instructors:  Phillip Deen

Times & Locations

Start Date End Date Days Time Location
8/26/2024 12/9/2024 MW 10:10am - 12:00pm PANDRA P514

Additional Course Details:

This semester, the artform is video games. Some might dismiss this as a trivial artform compared to established ones like literature, music, painting, and theater, but the same was said of films when they were new. Video games have come to be one of the dominant popular media and are deserving of philosophical reflection. Specifically, video games raise interesting questions about the relationships between real and virtual worlds, real and virtual identities. Aesthetic issues include: What is distinctive about interactive artworks? How do you engage with the virtual world? Are video games artworks at all? Why do we enjoy failing? Why do we care about fictional events? Ethical issues include: Is it morally wrong to enjoy virtual killing? Why is virtual killing acceptable but not other virtual acts? Can video games make us more empathetic? How do virtual acts carry over to how we behave in the real world?