STEVEN SPIELBERG AND PHILOSOPHY The Philosophy of Popular Culture The books published in the Philosophy of Popular Culture series will illu- minate and explore philosophical themes and ideas that occur in popular culture. The goal of this series is to demonstrate how philosophical inquiry has been reinvigorated by increased scholarly interest in the intersection of popular culture and philosophy, as well as to explore through philosophical analysis beloved modes of entertainment, such as movies, TV shows, and music. Philosophical concepts will be made accessible to the general reader through examples in popular culture. This series seeks to publish both es- tablished and emerging scholars who will engage a major area of popular culture for philosophical interpretation and examine the philosophical underpinnings of its themes. Eschewing ephemeral trends of philosophi- cal and cultural theory, authors will establish and elaborate on connections between traditional philosophical ideas from important thinkers and the ever-expanding world of popular culture. SERIES EDITOR Mark T. Conard, Marymount Manhattan College, NY BOOKS IN THE SERIES The Philosophy of Stanley Kubrick, edited by Jerold J. Abrams Football and Philosophy, edited by Michael W. Austin The Philosophy of the Coen Brothers, edited by Mark T. Conard The Philosophy of Film Noir (paperback edition), edited by Mark T. Conard The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese, edited by Mark T. Conard The Philosophy of Neo-Noir, edited by Mark T. Conard The Philosophy of The X-Files, edited by Dean A. Kowalski The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film, edited by Steven M. Sanders The Philosophy of TV Noir, edited by Steven M. Sanders and Aeon J. Skoble Basketball and Philosophy, edited by Jerry L. Walls and Gregory Bassham STEVEN SPIELBERG AND PHILOSOPHY WE’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOOK Edited by Dean A. Kowalski The University Press of Kentucky Copyright © 2008 by The University Press of Kentucky Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth, serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University. All rights reserved. Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky 663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008 www.kentuckypress.com 12 11 10 09 08 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Steven Spielberg and philosophy : we’re gonna need a bigger book / edited by Dean A. Kowalski. p. cm. — (The philosophy of popular culture) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8131-2527-5 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Spielberg, Steven, 1946—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Motion pictures—Moral and ethical aspects. I. Kowalski, Dean A. PN1998.3.S65S84 2008 791.4302'33092—dc22 2008026318 This book is printed on acid-free recycled paper meeting the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials. Manufactured in the United States of America. Member of the Association of American University Presses Contents Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Dean A. Kowalski Part I: Philosophy, the Filmmaker, and the Human Condition The “Big-Little” Film and Philosophy: Two Takes on Spielbergian Innocence 7 Gary Arms and Thomas Riley The Recovery of Childhood and the Search for the Absent Father 38 Michel Le Gall and Charles Taliaferro Levinasian Ethics of Alterity: The Face of the Other in Spielberg’s Cinematic Language 50 John W. Wright The Paradox of Fictional Belief and Its Moral Implications in Jaws 69 Christopher R. Trogan and Dean A. Kowalski A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and the Tragic Sense of Life 82 Timothy Dunn Part II: Values, Virtue, and Justice What Is Wrong with Cloning a Dinosaur? Jurassic Park and Nature as a Source of Moral Authority 97 James H. Spence Is Oskar Schindler a Good Man? 112 Roger P. Ebertz vi Contents A Spielbergian Ethics of the Family in Saving Private Ryan and The Color Purple 129 Robert R. Clewis Human Rights, Human Nature, and Amistad 150 David Baggett and Mark W. Foreman Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and “The Story of What Happens Next” in Munich 170 Joseph J. Foy Part III: Realism, Mind, and Metaphysics Spielberg and Cinematic Realism 191 Keith Dromm A.I.: Artificial Intelligence: Artistic Indulgence or Advanced Inquiry? 210 V. Alan White Minority Report, Molinism, and the Viability of Precrime 227 Dean A. Kowalski Appendix: Discussing Five Spielberg Films 248 Contributors 267 Index 271 Ack nowledgments I remain indebted to Mark Conard, Steve Wrinn, and (especially) Anne Dean Watkins at the University Press of Kentucky. They, and all of their colleagues at UPK, remain unsurpassed in their dedication and loyalty to their authors. While I am grateful for the quality efforts of all the contributing authors, I owe a tremendous debt of thanks to Professor Joseph Foy. I have no finer colleague than he. My wife, Patricia, continues to be a constant source of strength and encouragement. My parents, Bruce and Susan, remain subtle stalwarts of support. I have been incorporating film and television in my classroom for more than a decade. My students have always appreciated this; indeed, many subsequently inspired me to commit fully to this way of teaching philoso- phy. That inspiration now culminates in the fruition of this book. I thus dedicate this book to my students. I recall philosophy majors and minors from Dubuque and Indianapolis: C. Ashton, E. Bader, W. D. Bentley, E. Comstock, A. Fisher, S. Franks, K. Fry, A. Giese, V. Grider, J. Haire, E. Huff, W. E. Koron, S. Kutsch, T. Lazzaro, C. Neblett, K. Perhach, E. Phillips, K. Storey, S. Takacs, and K. Zeilenga. More recently, and at the risk of offending some, I note: J. Boeck, M. Carrillo, E. Colvin, K. Ellis, J. Gorman, L. Hlaban, M. Kleppe, D. Koller, D. Krause, S. Krause, C. Majdoch, L. Q. McDonald, B. Mikulice, E. Mosely, D. Myszewski, S. Pfenninger, B. Retzlaff, J. Schroeder, and C. Vouga. Space constraints do not allow me to continue. However, if you remember and appreciate the term “phledgling philosopher,” then this book is dedicated to you. “For ‘Phledgling Philosophers’ Everywhere” vii Introduction Dean A. Kowalski No film director has had more impact on popular culture than Steven Spiel- berg. This volume acknowledges that fact. In its pages, you will find thirty years of Spielberg’s directorial efforts explored and assessed through the lens of philosophy. What you will also find (surprisingly, perhaps) is that philosophy is not so much something that you “have” as something that you “do.” Within each essay, the contributing authors discuss philosophical issues—“doing” philosophy—in metaphysics (the study of ultimate reality), epistemology (the study of knowledge), ethics (the study of right living), axiology (the study of value, of which ethics is one facet), aesthetics (the study of art and beauty), political philosophy, feminism, and mind, among other areas. Because we are teachers as well as scholars, each essay is written for those new to philosophy; thus, the discussions invariably presuppose very little philosophy background. The first section, “Philosophy, the Filmmaker, and the Human Condi- tion,” contains five essays. Gary Arms and Thomas Riley provide a proper introduction to the book. Arms pens part I of the essay, providing an analysis of Spielberg’s literary choices, and focusing particularly on War of the Worlds (2005) and Minority Report (2002). In the process, Arms provides us some insights into Spielberg’s approach to filmmaking. Riley authors part II of the essay, signaling the turn to philosophical exploration of Spielberg. Riley focuses on ethical issues in Spielberg’s films, especially War of the Worlds and Empire of the Sun (1987). He spells out how philosophical analysis is importantly distinct from other sorts of analysis: philosophers attempt to establish conclusions about nonempirical or conceptual matters via (ob- jective) reasoning and logical argumentation. Michel Le Gall and Charles Taliaferro provide insights into the Indiana Jones movies (1981, 1984, 1989), 1