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Avatar and Philosophy: Learning to See Edited by William Irwin Edited by George A AVATAR AND PHILOSOPHY The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series Series editor William Irwin A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and a healthy helping of popular culture clears the cobwebs from Kant. Philosophy has had a public relations problem for a few centuries now. This series aims to change that, showing that philosophy is relevant to your life—and not just for answering the big questions like “To be or not to be?” but for answering the little questions: “To watch or not to watch South Park?” Thinking deeply about TV, movies, and music doesn’t make you a “complete idiot.” In fact it might make you a philosopher, someone who believes the unexamined life is not worth living and the unexamined cartoon is not worth watching. Already published in the series: 24 and Philosophy: The World According to Jack Inception and Philosophy: Because It’s Never Just Edited by Jennifer Hart Weed, Richard Brian Davis, a Dream and Ronald Weed Edited by David Johnson 30 Rock and Philosophy: We Want to Go to There Iron Man and Philosophy: Facing the Stark Reality Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski Edited by Mark D. White Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy: Curiouser and Lost and Philosophy: The Island Has Its Reasons Curiouser Edited by Sharon M. Kaye Edited by Richard Brian Davis Mad Men and Philosophy: Nothing Is as It Seems Arrested Development and Philosophy: They’ve Made Edited by James South and Rod Carveth a Huge Mistake Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Edited by Kristopher Phillips and J. Jeremy Wisnewski Surgery Avatar and Philosophy: Learning to See Edited by William Irwin Edited by George A. Dunn The Office and Philosophy: Scenes from the The Avengers and Philosophy: Earth’s Mightiest Thinkers Unfinished Life Edited by Mark D. White Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul Sons of Anarchy and Philosophy: Brains Before Edited by Mark D. White and Robert Arp Bullets Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy: Knowledge Here Edited by George A. Dunn and Jason T. Eberl Begins Out There South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Edited by Jason T. Eberl Something Today The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy: Rock, Paper, Edited by Robert Arp Scissors, Aristotle, Locke Spider-Man and Philosophy: The Web of Inquiry Edited by Dean Kowalski Edited by Jonathan Sanford The Big Lebowski and Philosophy: Keeping Your Superman and Philosophy: What Would the Man Mind Limber with Abiding Wisdom of Steel Do? Edited by Peter S. Fosl Edited by Mark D. White Black Sabbath and Philosophy: Mastering Reality Supernatural and Philosophy: Metaphysics and Edited by William Irwin Monsters… for Idjits The Daily Show and Philosophy: Moments of Zen Edited by Galen Foresman in the Art of Fake News Terminator and Philosophy: I’ll Be Back, Edited by Jason Holt Therefore I Am Downton Abbey and Philosophy: The Truth Is Neither Edited by Richard Brown and Kevin Decker Here Nor There True Blood and Philosophy: We Wanna Think Bad Edited by Mark D. White Things with You Dungeons & Dragons and Philosophy: Read and Gain Edited by George Dunn and Rebecca Housel Advantage on All Wisdom Checks Twilight and Philosophy: Vampires, Vegetarians, and Edited by Christopher Robichaud the Pursuit of Immortality Ender’s Game and Philosophy: The Logic Gate Is Down Edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski Edited by Kevin S. Decker The Ultimate Daily Show and Philosophy: More Family Guy and Philosophy: A Cure for the Petarded Moments of Zen, More Moments of Indecision Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski Theory Edited by Jason Holt Final Fantasy and Philosophy: The Ultimate Walkthrough Edited by Jason P. Blahuta and Michel S. Beaulieu The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Logic Cuts Deeper Edited by Gregory Bassham Than Swords Edited by Henry Jacoby The Ultimate Lost and Philosophy: Think Together, Die Alone The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Philosophy: Edited by Sharon Kaye Everything Is Fire Edited by Eric Bronson The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy: Respect My Philosophah! Green Lantern and Philosophy: No Evil Shall Escape Edited by Robert Arp and Kevin S. Decker This Book Edited by Jane Dryden and Mark D. White The Walking Dead and Philosophy: Shotgun. Machete. Reason. Heroes and Philosophy: Buy the Book, Save the World Edited by Christopher Robichaud Edited by David Kyle Johnson Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test The Hobbit and Philosophy: For When You’ve Lost Edited by Mark D. White Your Dwarves, Your Wizard, and Your Way Edited by Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson Veronica Mars and Philosophy: Investigating the Mysteries of Life (Which Is a Bitch Until You Die) House and Philosophy: Everybody Lies Edited by George A. Dunn Edited by Henry Jacoby X-Men and Philosophy: Astonishing Insight and The Hunger Games and Philosophy: A Critique Uncanny Argument in the Mutant X-Verse of Pure Treason Edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski Edited by George Dunn and Nicolas Michaud AVATAR AND PHILOSOPHY LEARNING TO SEE Edited by George A. Dunn This edition first published 2014 © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Registered Office John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK Editorial Offices 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. The right of George A. Dunn to be identified as the author of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Avatar and philosophy : learning to see / edited by George A. Dunn. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-470-94031-0 1. Avatar (Motion picture : 2009) I. Dunn, George A., 1957– editor. PN1997.2.A94A95 2014 791.43′72–dc23 2014016571 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Cover image: © Kanuman / Shutterstock. Set in 10.5/13pt Sabon by SPi Publisher Services, Pondicherry, India 1 2014 Contents Acknowledgments: I See These People viii Introduction: Time to Wake Up 1 George A. Dunn Part I Seeing Eywa: “I’m With Her, Jake. She’s Real!” 5 1 The Silence of Our Mother: Eywa as the Voice of Feminine Care Ethics 7 George A. Dunn and Nicolas Michaud 2 “Eywa Will Provide”: Pantheism, Christianity, and the Value of Nature 19 Jason T. Eberl 3 The Tantra of Avatar 36 Asra Q. Nomani Part II Seeing the Na’vi: “You Will Teach Him Our Ways” 49 4 Learning to See the Na’vi 51 Stephanie Adair 5 It Doesn’t Take an Avatar: How to Empathize with a Blue-Skinned Alien 62 Andrew Terjesen v vi CONTENTS 6 “I See You” through a Glass Darkly: Avatar and the Limits of Empathy 74 Massimiliano Cappuccio Part III Seeing Nature: “Try to See the Forest through Her Eyes” 87 7 Seeing the Na’vi Way: Respecting Life and Mind in All Organisms 89 Kyle Burchett 8 They’re Not Just Goddamn Trees: Hegel’s Philosophy of Nature and the Avatar of Spirit 104 James Lawler 9 “Everything Is Backwards Now”: Avatar, Anthropocentrism, and Relational Reason 115 Jeremy David Bendik-Keymer Part IV Seeing Our Bodies: “They’ve Got Great Muscle Tone” 125 10 The Identity of Avatars and Na’vi Wisdom 127 Kevin S. Decker 11 “I Got This”: Disability, Stigma, and Jake Sully’s Rejected Body 139 Ryan Smock 12 “See the World We Come From”: Spiritual versus Technological Transcendence in Avatar 151 Dan Dinello Part V Seeing Our Political Communities: “Sky People Cannot See” 165 13 “We Will Fight Terror with Terror”: Avatar and Just War Theory 167 Joseph J. Foy 14 The Community and the Individual in Avatar 180 Dale Murray CONTENTS vii 15 Avatar and Colonialism 190 Nathan Eckstrand Part VI Seeing Our Ethical Responsibilities: “Sometimes Your Entire Life Boils Down to One Insane Move” 201 16 “All That Cheddar”: Lessons in Business Ethics from the RDA Corporation 203 Matthew Brophy 17 “We Have an Indigenous Population of Humanoids Called the Na’vi”: Native American Philosophy in Avatar 215 Dennis Knepp 18 I See Animals: The Na’vi and Respect for Other Creatures 226 Wayne Yuen Part VII Seeing the Movie: “You Are Not Gonna Believe Where I Am” 239 19 The Digital Cabinet of Curiosities: Avatar and the Phenomenology of 3D Worlds 241 Robert Furze and Pat Brereton Notes on Contributors: Our Avatar Drivers 252 Index: My Last Video Log 258 Acknowledgments I See These People Many thanks to all the contributors to this volume for the hard work that made this book possible.
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