Loki, the god of Mischief, has been detained by the Time Variance Association who employ him to catch a variant of himself to protect the sacred timeline and preserve the multiverse. Loki begrudgingly complies, all the while maintaining that he is destined to be King while also being completely free to choose his own path. This presents a paradox: When Loki makes a choice, does he do so by his own free will, or are all of his so-called free choices pre-determined by He Who Remains, the TVA’s puppet master? If a choice isn’t “free,” is the chooser personally accountable for the choice? Is one’s purpose in life forged through personal decisions, or is one’s life purpose assigned by a “higher power”? Is it possible for freedom to work alongside determinism, or are they mutually exclusive? Together, we will investigate the intersection of purpose, freedom, and personal responsibility.
Young Philosophers is an online discussion for high-school-aged students. Join us for “Free Will in Marvel’s Loki” on Thursday, March 2, from 4-6 p.m. Pacific time. The discussion will be led by Gutenberg tutor Eliot Grasso. Students should watch the entire first season of Loki before class.
Attendee Requirements: High-school age
Maximum Attendees: 12
Eliot Grasso 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 (2005), an M.A. in ethnomusicology from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick (2007), and a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance (2011). He has performed, recorded, taught, and lectured on Irish traditional music internationally.