Author Description

<p>Ridley Scott's <i>Blade Runner</i> is widely regarded as a "masterpiece of modern cinema" and is regularly ranked as one of the great films of all time. Set in a dystopian future where the line between human beings and 'replicants' is blurred, the film raises a host of philosophical questions about what it is to be human, the possibility of moral agency and freedom in 'created' life forms, and the capacity of cinema to make a genuine contribution to our engagement with these kinds of questions.</p> <p>This volume of specially commissioned chapters systematically explores and addresses these issues from a philosophical point of view. Beginning with a helpful introduction, the seven chapters examine the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>How is the theme of death explored in <i>Blade Runner</i> and with what implications for our understanding of the human condition?</li> <li>What can we learn about the relationship between emotion and reason from the depiction of the 'replicants' in <i>Blade Runner</i>?</li> <li>How are memory, empathy, and moral agency related in <i>Blade Runner</i>?</li> <li>How does the style and 'mood' of <i>Blade Runner</i> bear upon its thematic and philosophical significance?</li> <li>Is <i>Blade Runner</i> a meditation on the nature of film itself?</li> </ul> <p>Including a brief biography of the director and a detailed list of references to other writings on the film, <i>Blade Runner</i> is essential reading for students - indeed anyone - interested in philosophy and film studies.</p> <p><b>Contributors:</b> Colin Allen, Peter Atterton, Amy Coplan, David Davies, Berys Gaut, Stephen Mulhall, C. D. C. Reeve.</p>