Phil in the Details: Recent Episodes
Stacy Cabrera
Philosophy is behind the motivations of the great writers, novelists, artists, and producers--though listeners (and even some of the artists themselves) may not even know it! Follow Stacy Cabrera--educator and philosopher--as she takes you through some of her favorite works of art to discuss the ways in which continental philosophy infuses the literary and performance world. As always, its in the details.
In this episode, we look at the second half of Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet with specific focus on some of the greater mistakes of reasoning made by Ransom throughout the text--specifically, his inability to rectify in his mind the fact that three species can exist in cohabitation without a forced power structure. We look at the philosophies of Aristotle and Aquinas, some more on memory as we return a bit to Paul Ricoeur and Plato as well. The episode sets up a discussion of Lewis's criticism of man, and some environmental philosophy as well!
In this second episode of the series, we look at a bit more of Lewis's philosophy (with even still more Tolkien!) from his work, Mere Christianity, in particular on the necessity of free will and the problem of Evil. This is then taken to the text of Out of the Silent Planet and the way it investigates Christian notions of Goodness and Sin. Finally, we look at less religious philosophies and their role on memory, a dominant theme in the novel,. particularly in its contrast to the philosophies of David Hume.
In this new series, I'll investigate the first of the science-fiction trilogy by C.S. Lewis, called Out of the Silent Planet--a good little exploration into metaphysical and linguistic themes through the mid-century modern lens of Christianity. In this first episode, I discuss the roll of fantasy through Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories" as his friendship impressed upon Lewis's christian works, along with the roll of 'aporia' in learning, shown by the main character, Ransom.
In this episode, I look at poetry about "America" from a multiplicity of sources--the Romantics, the Beat Generation, the Harlem Renaissance, and recently produced music. Then, the commentary on American society is applied through a discussion of being definer versus being defined recently explored in the chapters of Beloved, Book II.
The final episode of the series, next week, will look at the final book (III) of Beloved, with discussion of the ethics of story telling in and outside of one's cultural heritage.
Resources:
- Walt Whitman's poem, "I Hear America Singing"
- Langston Hughes' poem, "I, Too"
- Allen Ginsberg's poem, "America" (with Ginsberg reading, over music by Tom Waits)
- Beat Generation, 'Cheat Sheet'
- Childish Gambino, "This is America"
In a short "Where are They Now?" segment, I return to wrap-up some important narratives, including Lucy and Walter, while also looking at the relationship of Elinor and Webley as it presents a pawn in the chess match against God being played all novel by Spandrell.
This episode sets up the final chapter, where extensive analysis of Huxley's point will be concluded. Tune in next week for a conversation between me and my husband about the ending of the book, and what it means to us... and what we're still arguing about.
Resources:
- Marx, 'Cheat Sheet'
- Communism vs. Fascism, 'Cheat Sheet'
This episode focuses on the issue of defining art and its experience, introducing some of the thoughts and philosophies of Tom Wolfe in his Painted Word and John Dewey in his Art as Experience. Also included are some ideas shared by my current students on defining 'art' and what types of things are considered are for what reasons. I then look at the issue of 'beauty' in aesthetics through some specific works, including Beloved, which rides the line of beauty and the horrible, and whether or not understanding is necessary to experience in art.
Resources:
- Presentation Notes, Art as Experience (chapters 1, 3, 4)
Hold onto your seats--this one is intense. I start with the famous rant by Rampion on page 300 of Point Counter Point, "Idiots and Machines" and connect to the various related philosophies and literary pieces alluded throughout the series, Erich Fromm's Sane Society, Camus' "Myth of Sisyphus" and more of Huxley's philosophies through his final novel, Island. I also introduce-- in a very reductive way--the dialectical model of Hegel's Phenomenology and its relation to the intellectual breakthroughs of Philip's Notebook.
Resources:
- text, from Point Counter Point p. 300
- text, from Island, "The Notes on What's What"
- selections from Erich Fromm, Sane Society
- Camus, "The Myth of Sisyphus"
- Hegel, "cheat sheet"
- Hegel, lecture notes
- Hegel, supplementary text
In this episode, I introduce the theory of ethical criticism through some of my favorite contemporary thinkers in Wayne Booth and Martha Nussbaum. I then get at the heart of the major reveal that ends the first book of Morrison's Beloved, addressing the ability--or inability--to pass ethical judgment on the moment through any of the standard meta-ethical approaches.
Resources
- Virtue Ethics, 'Cheat Sheet'
- Ethical Systems, 'Cheat Sheet'
- Cabrera, formal paper, "Author as Friend: a Defense of Intentionalism in the Ethical Criticism of Literature"
In this episode, I deeply digest the characterization of probably Huxley's most complex character in Point Counter Point: Maurice Spandrell. Defending him against the unjust critics of the 60s and 70s, I argue against the Oedipus-complex Freudian psychoanalytic label, the Nihilist label, and instead situate him where I firmly believe he should be: Kierkegaard's "demonic." No wonder he's always so 'anxious' to prove himself to Rampion! Lots of different philosophies in this one, so please take a look at the resources posted below, including a paper I wrote, myself, on Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragments with more information about the moment of paradox and the 'leap of faith.'
Resources:
- Freud, 'Cheat Sheet'
- Nietzsche and Nihilism, 'Cheat Sheet'
- Kierkegaard, 'Cheat Sheet'
- selections from Kierkegaard's Either/Or
- selections from Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling
- selections from C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity
- my own paper, seminar, "Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragments: The Hypothesis of Religious Understanding"
In this third episode of the series, I look at chapters 9-14 of Morrison's Beloved, in conjunction with just some fantastic Harlem Renaissance poems, the dreams of Americans, and the problems with an existential view of freedom for those who aren't nearly as free. Some references in here to T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men," Gatsby, Death of a Salesman, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Absurdism, and the philosophies of Søren Kierkegaard.
Resources:
- T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men"
- James Weldon Johnson's "Brothers-American Drama"
- Georgia Douglas Johnson's "Smothered Fires"
- Langston Hughes' "Dream Variations"
- Langston Hughes' "Let America Be America Again"
- Absurdist Existentialism, 'Cheat Sheet'
- Søren Kierkegaard, 'Cheat Sheet'
Pushing ahead to chapters 12-16 of Huxley's Point Counter Point, this episode dissects the Hedonistic characters, the similars "solving similar" AND "dissimilar" problems within the realm of their hedonistic philosophical views, with the subtle nuances in their life philosophies as practically played out by Lucy, Walter, and (now introducing) Burlap. As always, this is positioned against the counter-point of their philosophies, so the hedonism is also contrasted with the Stoicism that could be applied to other characters, possibly Philip. Resources for the episode can be found below.
Resources:
- Philosophies of Life, 'Cheat Sheet'
- Stoicism, 'Cheat Sheet'
- Supplementary text, on Stoicism
In this second episode of the series, we continue to look at the dynamics of Toni Morrison's Beloved, specifically chapters 5-8. The episode focuses on the use of magical realism and the supernatural, and particularly the freeing and enslaving aspects of language--what is said vs. what is not said--in the textual structure. To do that, I look at some philosophies of language in snippets of Huxley, Heidegger, Dewey, and some casual references to Derrida.
Resources for this Episode:
- selections from John Dewey's How We Think
- selections on language from Huxley and Heidegger
Continuing the series, this episode looks at the introduction of more points and counterpoints of characters in Spandrell and Rampion, as introduced within chapters 6-11, as well as the beginning of the Walter-Lucy saga. In this episode, I look specifically at Spandrell's development of an 'immoral maxim' of sorts, based loosely on the epistemic and ethical philosophies of Immanuel Kant, then challenged by the relativism of Rampion and the open Hedonism of Lucy (which will be continued in the next episode.
Resources for this Episode:
- 'Cheat Sheet,' Kantian Idealism
- Resource, supplementary on Kantian Idealism
- 'Cheat Sheet,' Kantian Deontological Ethics
I'll be running two series concurrently--while Series 01 looks at Huxley's Point Counter Point, series 02 will look at Toni Morrison's Beloved. In the first episode of this series, I introduce Toni Morrison's text through the eyes of W.H. Auden's poem, "The Unknown Citizen." Discussion is also given to Paul Ricouer's essay, "Memory and Forgetting." Resources for this episode can be found below. This episode specifically focuses on chapters 1-4.
- W.H Auden's "The Unknown Citizen"
- Paul Ricoeur's "Memory and Forgetting"
This episode serves, a bit, as an introduction to the philosophies and works of Aldous Huxley, and tracks some early influence of John Dewey through the first six chapters of his masterpiece, Point Counter Point. Resources for this episode can be found below.
- chapter summaries for Point Counter Point
- selections from John Dewey's How We Think
Phil in the Details takes a look at the way philosophy sneakily infuses the art world, providing an enriching way to view human motivations and beliefs. Here I utilize a lot of the same strategies that make my high school classes come alive!
This inaugural episode takes a quick look at the implications behind the Duncan Jones film, Moon, using Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave' and some of the broader ethical questions raised by the situations of the film.
For the resources I provide for my students, see below:
- Text, Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"
- Introductory 'Cheat Sheet,' Plato
- Film guide, Moon