INDIANA JONES AND PHILOSOPHY
What does it mean to choose wisely?
Can heroes seek fortune and glory?
Why does Indy take a leap of faith?
Do Indys adventures provide him evidence of the supernatural?
Should we hide the Ark of the Covenant in a military-controlled warehouse?
Why are museums so important to archaeology?
If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones! Hes both a mild-mannered archaeology professor and an intrepid adventurer traversing the globe in search of lost artifacts. Whether seeking the Ark of the Covenant in Egypt, the Sankara Stones in India, the Holy Grail in Turkey, or a mysterious crystal skull in Peru, Indys adventures never fail to delight audiences.
Indiana Jones and Philosophy takes you on a whirlwind journey to investigate some of the most enduring questions about the human condition. Youll read about how Indy has wronged Marion Ravenwood, how a virtuous person would make amends, the strides Indy makes to repair his relationship with his father, why Indy distinguishes fact from truth when he pursues archaeological treasures, and much more. With trusty guides such as Aristotle, Camus, Kant, and Nietzsche at your side, youll consider possible answers to these questions and see Indiana Jones in a whole new light!
Comprehensive, immersive, and engaging, Indiana Jones and Philosophy offers you an accessible and lively opportunity to dive deeper into the world of Indiana Jones and appreciate the characters greatness anew!
Contributors: We Have Top Men [ and Women] Working on It ix
Acknowledgments: We Can Discuss My Honorarium over Dinner and Champagne
TonightYour Treat xv
Introduction: Indiana JonesI Always Knew Some Day Youd Come Walking Back
through My Door. I Never Doubted That 1
Part I It Was Wrong and You Knew It!: Ethics and Values 3
1 Acting Without Thinking: The Sagacity of Indiana Jones 5 Justin Kitchen
2 Does It Always Belong in a Museum? 16 Edwardo Pérez
3 The Virtues that Made the Man, and the Man Who Became the Legend: The
Adventures in Philosophy of Young Indiana Jones 24 Robert M. Mentyka
4 Raiders of the Lost Kant: Indy Meets the Categorical Imperative 33 Mia
Wood
5 Feminism and Indiana Jones: A Field Guide 4 Kate C.S. Schmidt
Part II But Choose Wisely: Existentialism and Authenticity 53
6 The Absurd Hero: Indiana Jones, God, and Sisyphus 55 Justin Fetterman
7 Indiana Jones and Existential Self-Affirmation 65 Daniel Tilsley
8 Nietzschean Themes in Raiders of the Lost Ark: God May Be Dead, But Best
Not Disturb His Corpse 74 Duncan Gale
Homeward Bound with Indiana Jones 84 Charles Taliaferro and Annalissa Lane
Part III Knowledge Was Their Treasure: Truth and Evidence 95
10 Fact, Truth, and Evidence: A Lesson from Dr. Tyree 97 Dean A. Kowalski
11 Indiana Jones and the Quest for Agnosticism: What if All Stories Are
True? 108 Robert Grant Price
12 The Shadow Realities of Indiana Jones 118 Matthew Crippen and Matthew
Dixon
13 Pride and Prudence in the Pursuit of Knowledge: Indiana Jones, René
Belloq, and Irina Spalko 127 Alexander Hooke and Dean A. Kowalski
Part IV You Will Become a True Believer: Religion and Theology 137
14 Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Numinous Presence of God 139 Matthew
Brake
15 Indiana Jones and the Leap of Faith 148 Tait Szabo
16 Sacred Objects and Cosmic Justice in Indiana Jones 158 Christopher
Helali
Part V You Call This Archaeology?: Archaeology and Politics 167
17 On My Colleague Dr. Jones and his Publications 169 Aren M. Maeir
18 Sharing Your Adventures Has Been an Interesting Experience: Indiana
Jones and Professional Archaeology 178 Louise A. Hitchcock
19 Meddling with (Almost) Incomprehensible Powers 188 Robert Seddon
Part VI If Its Truth Youre Interested in : More from Dr. Tyrees
Classroom 199
20 Timeless Artifacts and Aging Humans: Indiana Jones and the Philosophy of
Time 201 Siobhan Lyons
21 Listening to the Music of Indiana Jones: John Williams and Aesthetic
Appreciation 211 Lance Belluomini
22 Germany Has Declared War on the Jones Boys!: Asymmetric Strategy and
Honor among Raiders 220 Nikolaj Kęrslund Andersen
23 Indiana Jones in India, India in Indiana Jones 231 Pankaj Singh and Dean
A. Kowalski
24 Some of the Passageways in Here Can Run for Miles: An Aristotelian
Exploration of Fact and Truth in The Last Crusade 242 Timothy Brown
Index: If I Walk It through Mayan First 251
DEAN A. KOWALSKI is the Chair of the Arts and Humanities department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is the author of three academic books that explore connections between popular culture and philosophy and the editor of The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy and three other books on popular culture and philosophy.