Welcome: The Great Filmosophers 2.0


Dear Guest,
We welcome you to join in on this wondrous blog and explore with us the realm of ancient Philosophical truths through KANTemoporary films and media. In this edition, The Great Filmosophers 2.0, we will be exploring and asking the question, “Are we Free in this World?”
This question pertains the great ordeal known as Free Will vs Determinism, which has been a debate that’s been debated for over centuries. Yet there are many people today who still are unsure what to believe. What are Free Will and Determinism you might ask? Great Question! Let’s define and see what these two phenomena are.
The idea behind free will states that we, as humans beings, have the freedom and leeway to act the way we choose and desire to. Our actions and consequences are based on our own rationales and decisions we make, making us responsible.
On the other hand, determinism is the idea that our actions are predestined to occur based on past events, (similar to the universal principle of cause and effect) (Simply Psychology, Saul McLeod, ).
By reading this blog, we hope to share our thoughts on the subject as we explore these themes and essential question through three distinct films. The Philosophy world is not limited to only teachings and textbooks. Our three selections include Run Lola Run, Back to the Future, and Slumdog Millionaire. We will be analyzing these films and explaining how they relate to our topic. So, without further ado, please sit back, enjoy our blog and we appreciate your time for reading! We KANT wait to show you our findings!
Sincerely,
The Great Filmosophers
(Cody M. and Nicole K.)





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Run Lola Run: Free Will vs. Determinism Argument #3

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Slumdog Millionaire (Determinism)

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In the film Slumdog Millionaire, t he movie opens with a question and a set of answers in the style of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’. “Jamal Malik is one question away from winning 20 Million Rupees. How did he do it? (A) He cheated (B) He's lucky (C) He's a genius (D) It is written I thought that this was a clever approach in which the filmmakers did, since this is the exact same question and answer format that is seen on the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” ( “WWTBM”) which plays a large role in the movie. Yet after seeing this phrase, it was brought to my attention that the themes of both Free Will vs Destiny (or determinism) were bound to be prominent over the course of the film. As free will and determinism have been debated for over centuries, Slumdog Millionaire demonstrates how we do not have free will, but rather, live by the idea of destiny and fate, as seen through Jamal’s character. In answering the question that is presented to...
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Run Lola Run: Free Will vs. Determinism Argument #2

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