THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE X-FILES 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 The X-Files, edited by Dean A. Kowalski The Philosophy of Stanley Kubrick, edited by Jerold J. Abrams The Philosophy of Neo-Noir, edited by Mark T. Conard The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese, edited by Mark T. Conard The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film, edited by Steven M. Sanders The Philosophy of TV Noir, edited by Stephen M. Sanders and Aeon J. Skoble Basketball and Philosophy, edited by Jerry L. Walls and Gregory Bassham THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE X-FILES Edited by Dean A. Kowalski Foreword by William B. Davis THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY Publication of this volume was made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Copyright © 2007 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 Offi ces: The University Press of Kentucky 663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008 www.kentuckypress.com 11 10 09 08 07 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The philosophy of the X-fi les / edited by Dean A. Kowalski ; foreword by William B. Davis. p. cm. — (The philosophy of popular culture) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8131-2454-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. X-fi les (Television program)—Miscellanea. I. Kowalski, Dean A. PN1992.77.X22P45 2007 791.45'72—dc22 2007016757 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 Foreword vii Preface xiii Acknowledgments xix Introduction: Mulder, Scully, Plato, Aristotle, and Dawkins 1 Dean A. Kowalski Part I: The Credos The Truth Is Out There: Abduction, Aliens, and Alienation 17 Mark C. E. Peterson Freedom and Worldviews in The X-Files 37 V. Alan White Postdemocratic Society and the Truth Out There 55 Richard Flannery and David Louzecky Some Philosophical Refl ections on “Trust No One” 77 Richard M. Edwards and Dean A. Kowalski “I Want to Believe”: William James and The X-Files 93 Keith Dromm Part II: The Characters Ancient X-Files: Mulder and Plato’s Sokratic Dialogues 111 William M. Schneider vi Contents Scully as Pragmatist Feminist: “truths” Are Out There 126 Erin McKenna Moral Musings on a Cigarette Smoking Man 142 Timothy Dunn and Joseph J. Foy Walter Skinner: The X-Files’ Unsung Hero 159 S. Evan Kreider Science and the Mystery of Consciousness: A Dialogue between Mulder and Scully 174 Gordon Barnes Part III: The Episodes “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” Reprised 189 Dean A. Kowalski Hope and Pessimism: The Two Tales of “Jose Chung” 209 Dean A. Kowalski and S. Evan Kreider Feelings and Fictions: Exploring Emotion and Belief in Fight the Future 232 Christopher R. Trogan Appendix A: The X-Files Mythology 243 Appendix B: The X-Files Debriefed 247 Contributors 265 Index 269 Foreword This book by its nature raises many questions, not least of which is why an actor would be asked to write the foreword to a book of philosophy. An even better question is, Why would an actor jump at the chance? Well, this actor, while playing the Cigarette Smoking Man (“CSM” to many) on The X - Files, puzzled over many questions raised by the show, such as conspiracy theory, skepticism and credulity, aliens and the para- normal, and the nature of evil itself. And this actor may be unique, given his degree in philosophy and his reading of evolutionary biology and skep- tical literature. This actor is also not in the least intimidated by celebrities in his own fi eld but rather stands in awe of the giants of science and philos- ophy, Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett in particular. How embarrass- ing, then, that this actor starred in a series relentlessly attacked by Dawkins himself. I was always startled by the assumption of X - Files fans that since I was acting in the series, I was obviously not only interested in the subject mat- ter but also a believer in aliens, conspiracies, and the paranormal. I guess viewers understand the life of an actor through interviews with A - list celeb- rities. Those of us who work in the trenches take on acting roles because we get them. The idea that we sit back and choose from a range of offers is delightful to contemplate, but the reality is that we do the work we get. Trust me, it was a sheer accident that I ended up doing this series for many years. But once in the role, I had to deal with a range of fascinating issues that included explaining to the shocked fan that, no, I don’t believe there are aliens among us; I don’t believe in high - level government conspiracy; and I certainly don’t believe in astrology, past lives, or telepathy. Probably the most pervasive question I faced was, Why is the series so popular? We were all asked this question, and we all had different answers vii viii Foreword depending on our angle of view. My response might have been the least expected since I began with a related question: Why was Shakespeare so popular? As a teacher of acting I had often lectured on Shakespeare. I have argued that Shakespeare and his writings were unique because his genius sat on the cusp of two worldviews and he drew inspiration from both. Marshall McLuhan was another early intellectual hero of mine; I was pro- foundly infl uenced by his argument that the printing press changed how we see the world, not because of the content of printed works, but because of exposure to the medium itself. In the decades following the invention of the printing press in the late fi fteenth century, there were dramatic changes in Western humans’ worldview. The medieval world included religiosity, connectedness to the environment, lack of interest in self - identifi cation, anonymous presentation of artistic works, and lack of interest in visual perspective. The beginning of the modern world saw the decline of feudal- ism, the separation of the individual, the beginnings of modern science and the scientifi c method, and, soon, the stirrings of the Enlightenment. Shakespeare’s brilliance stemmed, in part, from his intimate connection to both worldviews. What has this to do with The X - Files? Is it possible that the show strad- dled a similar transition of worldview? The 1990s saw the full emergence of computer use and the Internet, following an era of extensive television viewing, and a corresponding decline in use of printed media. If McLuhan’s thesis has validity, viewing media in pixels instead of print should have an effect on the perspective and worldview of the user. To this observer at least, it appeared that a major lack of trust in formerly respected authority devel- oped. Books were either not read or, if they were, not trusted. At the same time, there was an explosion of information in the ethereal cyberworld. People no longer knew what or whom to believe. So a television series deal- ing with those very issues of belief and authority struck a responsive chord. What do we see moving forward into the twenty - fi rst century? Instead of the rigorous application of science and reason to cope with this world of uncertainty, we see a huge increase in superstition in general and religion in particular, in North America at least. We see a major decline in human rights and a reduction of complex problems to simple—unsuccessful— solutions. In short, we see the end of the Enlightenment. Was The X - Files a symptom and a harbinger of a world dangerously veering toward super- stition and religion and away from reason and science? What is the role of narrative in shaping our view of the world? To put an evolutionary spin on the question, Who benefi ts from narrative and what Foreword ix kind of narrative? Unique in important ways, The X - Files is nonetheless typical of popular narrative in our culture because it represents a battle between Good and Evil—the latter being me, in case you were wondering. Why is this the overwhelming narrative in popular culture, and what effect does this narrative have? Let’s imagine two different storytellers in two different hunter - gatherer caves on opposite sides of a valley.