Film as Thought Experiment: A Happy-Go-Lucky Case?

Charm and Strangeness: The Aesthetic and Epistemic Dimensions of Derek Jarman's Wittgenstein

“…20 A valid argument involves drawing a necessarily true conclusion from true premises (if the premises are accepted as true, then the conclusion must be true). Often in films a premise is established and a further premise appended (not necessarily in that order: frequently the second premise is established prior to the first), and therefore the conclusion anticipated which gives ensuing events a sense 19 'Film as Argument' (Wartenberg 2006); in Film as Philosophy Wartenberg also argues that film can construct philosophic thought-experiments (2007, 17-19; 24-29); see also Mary Litch (2010) and Basilis Kroustallis (2009). Kroustallis refers to Mulhall (2002) and Goodenough (and Read 2005).…”

Happy-Go-Lucky Revisited: A Response to Basileios Kroustallis

“…In a provocative recent essay Basileios Kroustallis argues that the film Happy- Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh, 2008) provides us with a valuable philosophical thought experiment concerning the nature of happiness (Kroustallis 2012). In particular, he takes the film to offer a defense of 'whole life satisfaction' conceptions of happiness, but to also enrich our understanding of such happiness by showing us that it seems to come at the 'price of eccentricity'.…”