Abstract

In this essay I argue that (by and large) film does not do philosophy, but that it nevertheless provides insights that are important to both professional philosophers and their students. Since those insights are at least partially due to the filmic qualities of the medium, using films can significantly contribute to our philosophizing, both in the classroom and in research. In fact, it is precisely because films differ from philosophic treatises that they can help us to explore some issues more effectively than simply byusing traditional texts.