In Avengers: Infinity War, the fate of half the universe is at stake. Thanos is intent on making the world better by eliminating fifty percent of all living things. By contrast, Captain America will not achieve his goal by sacrificing even one. This contrast raises many questions. Is there some merit to what Thanos is doing, despite the fact that he is the villain? Should Captain America be a more flexible and realistic hero? What views of ethics underlie the diverging positions, and how should we think about these? In asking these questions, we must also keep in mind that Infinity War is not an ethical treatise, but a film. How, then, does the language of film work—how does it blend narrative, visual, and audio to present us with ideas and impact our thinking?
Join us for an online discussion on Thursday, June 30. Students should watch the entire film before class.
Leading this session of Young Philosophers will be Dr. Eliot Grasso. Eliot is the vice president and a tutor at Gutenberg College where he teaches art seminars and leads discussions in Western Civilization and the Great Conversation. Eliot holds a B.A. in music from Goucher College, an M.A. in ethnomusicology from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick, and a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance.