Skepticism Films: Knowing and Doubting the World in Contemporary Cinema

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Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents Figures Acknowledgments 1 Introduction: Skepticism Films. A Certain Tendency in Contemporary Cinema A kaleidoscope of cinematic deception situations Illusion and reality in film history Skepticism’s historical roots Skepticism films as a sign of our times Method and structure Part One Thinking Th rough Cinema 2 Films as Confi gurations of Philosophical Thought 2.1 From “film as art?” to “film as philosophy?” 2.2 The philosophical significance of fi lm 2.3 Philosophy of film 2.4 Philosophy through film: New modes of experiencing philosophy 2.5 Film as philosophy 2.6 More than mere illustration 2.7 The philosophical significance of style 2.8 Philosophical narratives 2.9 Thought experiments as philosophical narratives Summary and outlook 3 Remediating Philosophy, or: Th e Media of Philosophical Th ought 3.1 Films as food for thought 3.2 Thinking with hands 3.3 Some media of philosophical thought 3.4 Adapting philosophy, transmediality, and remediation Summary Part Two Skepticism in Film Philosophy 4 Varieties of Philosophical Skepticism: Knowledge, Acknowledgment, and Trust 4.1 Skepticism as methodological doubt 4.2 Cavellian skepticism: From knowing to acknowledging 4.3 Triangulating knowledge 4.4 The metaphysical speculation of skepticist thought experiments 5 A Moving Image of Skepticism? Philosophy’s Acknowledgment of Film 5.1 Screening “reality” in cinema 5.2 Film as a moving image of skepticism 5.3 Cavell and the skepticist impetus of classical fi lm theory 5.4 The skeptic’s desire for a view from nowhere 5.5 Kracauer and the redemption of physical reality 5.6 The skeptic and “the” camera as a bridging device 5.7 Insuffi ciency vs. incompleteness 5.8 Skepticism and the Lebenswelt 5.9 Cavell digitalized: Animated fi lm characters and digital film 6 A Cinema for Believers. Trust, Belief, and the Expulsion from the Paradise of Childhood 6.1 Prelude: When the bell tolls 6.2 Trust or belief in the world in and through cinema 6.3 Cartesianism revisited: Resonances between Cavell and Deleuze 6.4 Four ways of restoring “la croyance au monde” 6.5 Nuovo Cinema Paradiso revisited: Th e child’s expulsion from the paradise of cinema 6.6 “. . . then it’s done and you can gasp!” Digital cinema and the neuro- image 6.7 Coda: Fantasy ain’t a world apart from reality Part Three Skepticism Films 7 Varieties of Skepticism Films 7.1 Introducing skepticism films 7.2 Alternative worlds in skepticism films 7.3 Family resemblances: A typology of skepticism films 7.4 Varieties of skepticism films 7.5 Skepticism films as complex narratives: Mind-games, alternative worlds, and “what if?” questions 8 Tools for Philosophical Film Analysis 8.1 Philosophy and film analysis 8.2 The status quo of philosophical film analysis 8.3 Four dimensions of (philosophical) film analysis 9 (Not) Knowing My World: External World Skepticism Films. A Comparative Analysis of The Matrix , The Thirteenth Floor , and The Truman Show 9.1 Who wants to be a reality TV show star? 9.2 Three versions of the skepticist predicament 9.3 Planes of reality 9.4 Reality revealed, or: Encounters with the boundaries of the world 9.5 A double film audience: Film reception in The Truman Show 9.6 A strange kind of color: The aesthetics of external world skepticism films 10 Not Knowing My Self: Self-Knowledge Skepticism Films 10.1 Being a solipsistic solitaire, or: The puzzle of personal identity 10.2 Being one’s own evil deceiver: Abre Los Ojos and Vanilla Sky 10.3 Shared dreams and illusions: Inception 10.4 Multiple personalities and virtual identities: Moon and Source Code 10.5 Conclusion 11 Coda. From Doubt to Acknowledgment, or: The Philosophical Significance of Skepticism Films Revisited Bibliography and Filmography Index