Thomas Hibbs has updated his book Shows About Nothing: Nihilism in Popular Culture in light of films and TV shows of the last decade like Christopher Nolan’s movies and AMC’s Mad Men.
He says Nihilism has been the reigning philosophy in Hollywood since the 1960’s. By Nihilism, he means a state of meaninglessness in which there is no objective standard for distinguishing actions as true or false, noble or base. Despite Nihilism’s current reign over television and film, he says there has been a reemergence of the classical notion of Quest in a lot of the popular films of the last decade e.g. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and the Batman films. In Quest stories, the hero has extraordinary duties of cosmic significance imposed upon him. The pursuit for justice and goodness do not necessarily mean the quest will be accomplished; instead the quest points to the existence of such goods. It also does not mean the heroes are perfect, but they are trying to overcome their flaws.
Hibbs believes these films are an encouraging sign, though he concedes there are plenty of counterexamples e.g. torture porn in films, music videos, and games. One issue he only briefly mentions is recent Quest films are all from the fantasy or comic book genres. Does the absence of realistic Quest films suggest things are even worse than Hibbs hopes?
April 29th, 2012 | 10:42 pm
Is Mad Men about Nihilism or just part of the american authenticity/experiment in Trademark and advertising? Derivative variations of which influence even proffesors at UVA (in a quest to differentiate himself by buying a Cadillac)
There is obviously no shortage of technical consumer reports about products. So there is Patent which provides technical excellence and precision.
But on the other hand there is Trade Secret which seeks to blot out the influence of Patent.
Hollywood itself will always be about Copyright, because that is what it is.
Nihilism as a philosophy is thus basically the domain of Copyright, Trademark and Trade Secret?
These conspire to create the Nihilism of ambiguity without which no trade would occur because men would not have overlapping and differing understandings of value?
There are objective standards for everything, but no human being knows them, or knowing them abstains from rationalizing or bargaining them away?
The use of a term like Nihilism to describe Hollywood rehabilitates Nihilism and in so doing confuses a modicum’s of creativity fixed in a tangible medium of expression with mass murderers?
April 30th, 2012 | 5:37 pm
I am quite encouraged by the film trends. Superhero movies cause people to dwell seriously on the nature of humanity, our moral (and immmoral) capacity, and our innate supernatural qualities that transcend.
I’ll plug the upcoming Avengers movie — The superhero team — like the Church — is ont a rescue mission – What more heroic mission — than to save those in danger? (Though it can be a daunting thing to live up to in all the distractions that we have provided ourselves.)
The Church is a bunch of misfits – (like the Avengers) … we don’t have to give up who we are – flaws and all — to be something better and more.
Some us love drinking too much, love whoring too much, love fighting too much, love scheming too much – and of course — Hulk — SMASH waaaayy too much.
The key is that when it matters most we keep going, we look out for one another, we try not to beat each other up (too much, except when we need it) and try to keep the team together and bring the stragglers up the line …
While speaking of the movie — in point of fact, that’s one of the reasons I don’t like Johannson’s Black Widow (yet) (or Hawkeye, at least yet —he’s a cipher so far). Both characters have moral failings in their backstories in the Marvel universe (Black Widow loves deception, too much, Hawkeye is too trusting and loyal to a fault) – but too little of that has come to light in the films yet (there is still hope). But weakness is very important to who they are and the power they developed from it.
The true superheroes derive their powers FROM their flaws. Even Superman is powerful ONLY because he is alien — always apart from and yet always drawn toward his love for the human condition. His godlike powers are a function of that weakness — being forever apart, yet brought into the light of the yellow human sun.
The superheroes’ weaknesses are what really give them their power OVER their NATURES – that is what SUPERNATURAL power is. And it is our weaknesses that make us both human and what make us supernaturally powerful. Humans are creatures of the supernatural BECAUSE of our natural weakness. Gorillas and lions and elephants have no need of it – they are perfect in their NATURAL power.
As Paul said we are made perfect in our weakness – which thus required us to be supernatural – using faith, knowledge, cooperation, and tools, and a firm reliance on powers actually outside of our own native power. Love being among those powers. Our material power was first and always from a spiritual source – the same source that made a universe that was knowable.
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