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"Being involved in The X-Files was a wild and wonderful journey. To be involved in the publication of this book was yet another unexpected pleasure. The questions raised by the phenomenon of The X-Files continue to reverberate."from the foreword by William B. Davis, the Cigarette Smoking Man

In The Philosophy of The X-Files, Dean A. Kowalski has gathered a remarkable cast of contributors to shed light on the philosophical mysteries of the television show The X-Files. With sections devoted to the show's credos, such as "The Truth Is Out There," individual characters, and specific episodes, The Philosophy of The X-Files illuminates the philosophical assumptions and presuppositions of the show as well as presents discussions through the show to help the reader better understand philosophy and philosophical inquiry.

Contents

Mulder, Scully, Plato, Aristotle, and Dawkins
Dean A. Kowalski

The Truth Is Out There: Abduction, Aliens, and Alienation
Mark C. E. Peterson

Freedom and Worldviews in The X-Files
V. Alan White

Post-Democratic Society and "The Truth Out There"
Richard Flannery and David Louzecky

Some Philosophical Reflections on "Trust No One"
Richard M. Edwards and Dean A. Kowalski

"I Want to Believe": William James and The X-Files
Keith Dromm

Ancient X-Files: Mulder and Plato's Sokratic Dialogues
William M. Schneider

Scully as Pragmatist Feminist: "Truths" Are Out There
Erin McKenna

Moral Musings on a Cigarette Smoking Man
Timothy Dunn and Joseph J. Foy

Walter Skinner: The X-Files' Unsung Hero
S. Evan Kreider

Science and the Mystery of Consciousness: A Dialogue between Mulder and Scully
Gordon Barnes

"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" Reprised
Dean A. Kowalski

Pessimism and Hope: The Two Tales of "Jose Chung"
Dean A. Kowalski and S. Evan Kreider

Feelings and Fictions: Exploring Emotion and Belief in "Fight the Future"
Christopher R. Trogan

Dean A. Kowalski, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha, is the author of Classic Questions and Contemporary Film: An Introduction to Philosophy.

See other titles in the series The Philosophy of Popular Culture

Reviews:

"Being involved in The X-Files was a wild and wonderful journey. To be involved in the publication of this book was yet another unexpected pleasure. The questions raised by the phenomenon of The X-Files continue to reverberate."from the foreword by William B. Davis, the Cigarette Smoking Man

"The X-Files may be the most intellectually challenging series in the history of television. This volume demonstrates how the show can be used to illustrate a wide variety of philosophical issues and principles. You can learn why Walter Skinner was secretly the tragic hero of the series and read a philosophical dialogue between Scully and Mulder that inexplicably never made it on the air. The highlight may well be the foreword by the Cigarette Smoking Man himself, though he is now masquerading as a Canadian actor with the improbably ordinary name of William B. Davis, and claiming that heof all peopledoesnt believe in aliens."--Paul A. Cantor, author of Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization

"The Philosophy of The X-Files will be a hit with X-philes and fans of philosophy alike. It might even turn some X-philes into philosophy fans."--Christopher B. Blakley, Louisiana State University

"Kowalski and his contributors have put together a great book that discusses central issues in Epistemology, Metaphysics, all against the backdrop of The X-Files ."--Roger P. Ebertz, University of Dubuque

"The Philosophy of the X-Files...analyzes the underlying philosophy of the popular science fiction television series."--Ripon Magazine