Mad Max and Philosophy Thinking Through the Wasteland

Explore the philosophy at the core of the apocalyptic future of Mad Max

Beneath the stylized violence and thrilling car crashes, the Mad Max films consider universal questions about the nature of human life, order and anarchy, justice and moral responsibility, society and technology, and ultimately, human redemption. In Mad Max and Philosophy, a diverse team of political scientists, historians, and philosophers investigates the underlying themes of the blockbuster movie franchise, following Max as he attempts to rebuild himself and the world around him.

Requiring no background in philosophy, this engaging and highly readable book guides you through the barren wastelands of a post-apocalyptic future as you explore ethics and politics in The Wasteland, the importance of costumes and music, humankind's relationship with nature, commerce, gender, religion, madness, and much more.

• Covers all of George Miller's Mad Max films, including Mad Max: Fury Road
• Discusses connections between Mad Max and Nietzsche, Malthus, Mill, Foucault, Sartre, and other major philosophers
• Follows Max's journey from policeman and family man to lost soul in search of redemption
• Examines the future of technology and possible impacts on society, the environment, and access to natural resources
• Delves into feminist themes of Mad Max, such as the reversal of heroic gender roles in Fury Road and relationships between power and procreation

Part of the bestselling Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, Mad Max and Philosophy: Thinking Through the Wasteland is a must-read for anyone wanting to philosophically engage with Max, Furiosa, and their dystopian world.

David Koepsell is an entrepreneur, author, philosopher, attorney, and educator whose recent research focuses on the intersection of science, technology, ethics, and public policy. He has provided commentary for MSNBC, Fox News Channel, The Guardian, The Washington Times, NPR Radio, the Associated Press, and other media outlets. He is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University.

Matthew Meyer is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He is the author of Archery and the Human Condition in Lacan, The Greeks, and Nietzsche, several chapters in the Wiley And Philosophy series, and journal articles on Nietzsche, Mystic River, environmental ethics, and colonialism.

Notes on Contributors

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Politics after the Pox-Eclipse: Anarchy, State, and Dystopia

1. Post-apocalyptic Anarchism in Mad Max, Aeon Skoble

2. Even on the Road, Violence is not the Same as Power, Ian Drake and Tony Spanakos

3. Thomas Hobbes and the State of Nature in the Wasteland, Greg Littman

4. The Political Economy of Bartertown: Embeddedness of Markets, Peak Oil, The Tragedy of the Commons, and Lifeboat Ethics, Paul Thomas

5. From Wee Jerusalem to Fury Road: Does Mad Max Depict a Post-Apocalyptic Dystopia?, Clint Jones

The Man with No Name: Heroes and Finding Oneself Post-Apocalypse-Style

6. “Pray He’s Still Out There”: Heroism in the Mad Max Films, Karen Kohoutek

7. Bloodbags and Artificial Arms: Bodily Parthood in Mad Max: Fury Road, Josh Tepley

8. The Meaning of Life According to Mad Max: Fury Road, Kiki Berk

Building a Better Tomorrow! Ethics in Mad Max (Alternative title: Just Deserts)

9. What Saves the World? Care and Ecofeminism, Leigh Kolb

10. Seeking the Good Life in the Wasteland, Kuzma

11. “We’re Not to Blame!” Responsibility in the Wasteland, Justin Kitchen

12. “Look, any longer out on that road and I'm one of them, you know?”: Madness in Mad Max, Matthew P. Meyer

13. Justice, Reason, and the Road Warrior: A Mechanic Reads Plato, David Gordon

Mother’s Milk: Gender and Intersectionality

14. Homecoming as Homemaking: The Rise of the Matriarchy in Mad Max: Fury Road, Daniel Conway

15. Liberating Mother’s Milk: Imperator Furiosa’s Ecofeminist Revolution, Jacob Quick

16. Demarginalizing Aunty Entity and Dismantling Thunderdome, Eduardo Pérez and Thayani Jackson

17. Gayboy Berserkers at the Gate: Sex and Gender in the Wasteland, Jacob Held

Wasteland Aesthetics:  Music, Fashion, Australia, and Nature

18. Driving Insanity, Chaos, and Emotion: The Music of Mad Max, Lance Belluomini

19. Carapaces and Prosthetics: What Humans Wear in Mad Max: Fury Road, Laura Di Summa

20. Does it Matter How Australian the Apocalypse Is? , Greg Littman

21. The Moral Aesthetics of Nature: Bio-conservativism in Mad Max, David Koepsell

Index

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