On Film as an Ethical Tool

The possibility that a work of film can offer philosophical knowledge has recently been much discussed and researched, especially with the contributions of Thomas Wartenberg. Although it seems impossible to think of philosophy without a written or spoken language, it has been shown that film can contribute to philosophical research from two different perspectives. It may also be argued that a work of film can be considered a philosophical work in its own right. I will try and discuss whether a work of film can be an ethical tool and what the implications or limitations of this might be. My aim is to examine the consequences of using the film work as a tool, of detaching the work from its artistic character. The alternative is to consider the work of film as a work in its own right, like any other work of art, and from this point of view to arrive at some ethical evaluations or problems. Wartenberg, on the other hand, advocates a more moderate film-philosophy. Wartenberg argues that films can be considered both as works of art and as works of philosophy. It is quite obvious that works of film can explicitly express philosophical ideas, since everything involving human beings has this possibility. However, the idea of a film work being able to philosophically address a purely ethical problem can become more complex and this approach can lead to a conceptual shift. It is therefore necessary to rethink the concepts and clearly frame in what sense a film can and cannot be an activity of philosophy, or in what sense a work of film can be a philosophical activity analogous to a written work of philosophy