Films about philosophy are rare because philosophy is not a subject that readily lends itself to that
medium. But once in a while a filmmaker is able to successfully approach the subject of philosophy, and
Astra Taylor’s Examined Life is an example of this.
Examined Life is a unique and thought-provoking documentary that features a series of interviews with
philosophers living and working in the U.S. in the contemporary period. Cornel West is the featured
philosopher, and he appears in the film several times. The other thinkers are: Avital Ronell, Peter Singer,
Judith Butler, Martha Nussbaum, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Sunura Taylor, Slavoj Zizek and Michael
Hardt. Each philosopher presents a brief discussion of an issue that they think is of pressing concern
within our current social and cultural situation. Conventional documentaries about intellectuals usually
present their subjects as “talking heads”, seated at their desks, emphasizing their social position as
academic experts. However, Examined Life noticeably departs from this format. The filmmaker conducts
her interviews with each thinker in some real-world setting: an international airport, Times Square NYC,
a park next to Lake Michigan in Chicago, a garbage dump, a taxi cab moving through the streets of
Manhattan, etc.
For this assignment I want you to watch the film -- possibly more than once -- and write a 2 to 3-page
essay in response. Please select one of the thinkers in the film and summarize the moral issue they speak
about and the position they take with respect to that issue, and give your response to what he or she says
about that issue. In your paper you should: (a) identify the thinker whose ideas you are writing about; (b)
accurately state the problem or issue that they are addressing; (c) accurately state why they believe that
issue is important; and (d) state your response to the philosopher’s ideas. Additionally, address the
question of why the filmmaker chose to make this movie about philosophy in the way she did, conducting
the interviews in settings and situations drawn from everyday life.

Please carefully follow the writing format instructions given in our syllabus, and be sure to proof-read and
double-check your work before submitting it on Blackboard.
The due date for this assignment is: Dec. 5th