The Real Thing: Doing Philosophy With Media

Television has been demonized as the cause of the moral decay of our society. Its content is derided as vapid. However, what we watch on television is often philosophically complex. This book examines news, cartoons such as South Park, advertisements, and soap operas and identifies complex moral dilemmas and arguments in them. It argues that we should apply analytical and philosophical skills directly to what we watch and shows how it can be done. In the final chapter, the way in which the news has been overtaken by the private lives of public figures is traced to a breakdown of the public-private divide.

Christina Slade is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Communication at the University of Canberra, and Head of the School of Creative Communication and Culture Studies.