AnalPhilosopher

“[I]t is ambition enough to be employed as an under-labourer in clearing the ground a little,
and removing some of the rubbish that lies in the way to knowledge.” —John Locke, 1689

“[P]hilosophy can no more show a man what he should attach importance to
than geometry can show a man where he should stand.” —Peter Winch, 1968

The Five Best Movies

Normative judgments presuppose standards. If I say that such-and-such a painting is beautiful, I presuppose a standard of beauty. I may be unable to articulate it, but I presuppose it. Once you know my standard for beauty in paintings, you can hold me to it. If two paintings satisfy my standard equally, then I can’t consistently judge only one of them to be beautiful (or ugly). The same goes for moral judgments, which are a species of normative judgments. Different people have different standards of rightness in action, goodness in persons, motives, or character, and justice or fairness in dealings. Most moral disagreements come down to differences in standards. (Some are factual disagreements.) I say that an act is wrong, because it violates my deontological standard. You say that it’s not wrong, because it doesn’t violate your consequentialist standard.

I like movies, although I don’t watch very many. I’m curious about which movies my readers think are best. “Best,” like “beautiful,” is a normative word, so its use presupposes a standard. Please do two things: first, state your standard for goodness in movies; and second, list the five best movies according to that standard. If you did only the second of these, it wouldn’t provide others with useful information. They would see your list and wonder what your standard is. But if you say your standard is special effects, or acting, or historical accuracy, or humor, then you convey useful information to others, for they may share your standard and therefore be motivated to watch new movies. Eventually, I’ll supply my own list of five.

psualum (mail):
We can only list five?! But there are six episodes of Star Wars! OK, they weren't all great but if you haven't seen Episode 3 as I did last night, you're missing out. I think it may make someone's list.
5.19.2005 6:02pm
Keith Burgess-Jackson (mail) (www):
Star Wars? Is that the movie with the talking robot?
5.19.2005 6:58pm
psualum (mail):
C3PO? Sure is! Surely you've watched the originals (Episodes IV, V, and VI).
5.19.2005 8:46pm
Ric Frost (www):
For me, movies are an escape. I have never understood why anyone would pay $8.00 to see the same depressing junk I can watch on the news. I want out of reality for a couple hours. But I want that alternate reality to be internally consistent and believable. So my all-time favorite movies would be:

Lord of the Rings trilogy (I'm counting these as one as none can really be said to stand on its own) - I loved the books and figured the movies would make a hash of them. They didn't. Yes there were things that were changed simply because a movie is not a book and there are things you can do in a book that you simply can't do on the screen and visa versa. But the over-all themes are there; the atmosphere of the various locations; the grandeur of the landscapes; its all there.

Dune (1984) - Another book I loved; it was my introduction to sci fi. The book-to-screen transition isn't nearly as successful as LotR; reading the book is almost required to make sense of the movie. The acting is nowhere near the level of LotR and of course the special effects are a joke compared to what a high school kid can do at home today. But for me, it still draws me in, and I find myself watching it again and again.

Antz - Don't ask me why; this one just cracks me up no matter how many times I watch it. My wife and daughter hate it and think I'm completely off my nut. What can I say? I'm Z.

Chicken Run - I grew up on a steady diet of Hogan's Heroes and the intentional parallels crack me up. It's just about as believable as well.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - Sorry; Angelina Jolie is just flat out hot. The plot is nearly non-existent, the characters are cardboard cut-outs, the dialog is as predictable as it is irrelevant. And I love it.
5.23.2005 7:44am
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