A.K. Smith Scholars Series & Blanchard W. Means Memorial Lecture with Robert Pippin

Thursday, March 9th at 4:15pm in Rittenberg Lounge, Mather Hall

The Problem of Truth in Novels and Cinema: For Example, in Roman Polanski’s Chinatown 

The problem of truth in novels and cinema is whether there is any. Philosophers have been skeptical that there can be for two reasons. The first is that they think that only propositions asserted in judgments can be truth bearers. The second reason is consequent upon the first: literature and movies do not assert anything. They are made up narratives about fictional beings. In this talk I want to introduce the claim that there is a form of truth available in great literature and great cinema and thereby address the question: if literature and cinema can be said to convey something true, and how could any such truth be distinguished from the mere appearance of truth? The examples to be discussed are drawn from the 1974 film by Roman Polanski, Chinatown. 

Food and beverages will be served!

Co-sponsored by the Philosophy Department