Introduction to Philosophy: In Black, White and Color, An

This combination text/reader is the newest introduction to philosophy resource enlisting cinema as its primary learning tool. In addition to covering the primary topics associated with introductory philosophy, Philosophy in Black and White and Color utilizes synopses of and references to contemporary and classic films as a means of encouraging students to learn while highlighting what they already know.

By using various examples of film to address common philosophical issues, students will not only discover a new relevance to their own lives, but will dissect the key readings with a perspective they were previously unaware of. The addition of student resources at the beginning of the text addressing a basic overview of critical thinking, as well as how to read, plan and write a philosophy essay, will further encourage students to think on their own and give instructors an added edge in getting the most out of their course.

In This Section:

I. Author Bio

II. Author Letter

I. Author Bio

Dr. Jeff McLaughlin teaches philosophy at Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops BC Canada. He received his PH.D. from the University of Alberta. He is author/editor of "Comics as Philosophy" and "Conversations: Stan Lee" (both by University Press Mississippi).

 II. Author Letter

Dear Colleague,

Just the word ‘philosophy’ can make our first year students feel a little bit intimidated. Many sign up because they want to think and discuss some of the questions that they’ve had about their world and their place in it, while others may have just fallen into the course because of scheduling issues! But even still, they are all going to be curious about what philosophy is.

My book An Introduction to Philosophy: In Back, White and Color presents a broad range of articles and topics to meet this challenge. Yes, the articles within are ones you’ve seen in other places, but that is because I’ve compiled a list of the readings from the top-selling introductory readers. However, unlike the other texts on the market, I selected what I hope to be a very useful collection that is broad enough and diverse enough to satisfy the needs in your introductory course.

The most important distinction of my book is the pedagogical approach that I took in offering these readings. In each chapter I discuss and explain some of the themes and issues raised in each reading (or grouping of readings) by drawing examples from movies. In general, students like movies and see their favourites over and over again. They are comfortable with the way movies tell stories, so I’ve tried to tap into their comfort level to ease their potential apprehension with philosophy.

Reading philosophy is hard enough, but when students have to read works that are hundreds of years old about difficult concepts, it can be discouraging and perhaps "prima facie" irrelevant to them. So if we can relate Plato’s Cave Allegory to a science fiction film that they like, then this helps bridge the gap between just reading philosophy and understanding it. I don’t just mention a movie in passing, but use the actual dialogue!

Ultimately hundreds of films are used or alluded to in the text, and the online companion website presents thousands more in all sorts of relevant categories. You might even want to show some of the clips in class, or assign entire films. But whatever you do, students will start to look at movies as more than mere entertainment, and most importantly for our purposes, they will see philosophy as more than just an academic exercise.

Another feature I’d like to mention is that the online companion has a ‘how to do’ philosophy section that my students have found quite helpful; indeed earlier versions of it have been linked to many universities over the past decade or so. It gives the students practical tips on how to read and write in our discipline, etc. I encourage you to review it!

I could go on, but I rather you consider examining a copy and see if it will work for you. I hope it does and look forward to hearing any feedback that you might have. Please feel free to email me at: jmclaughlin@tru.ca.

Sincerely,

Jeff McLaughlin

Thompson Rivers University