Ezio Di Nucci Stefan Storrie - 1984 and Philosophy: Is Resistance Futile? (Popular Culture and Philosophy)

Praise for 1984 and Philosophy

The reception of Orwells novel has gone through various stages. Until the end of the Cold War, the emphasis was on the politics and the cruelty of living in a totalitarian state. More recently, the focus has been on surveillance. This volume finally brings together these and other approaches in a meaningful way, with reference to the current political climate. An excellent and timely collection of essays, which demonstrates why Orwells great novel still matters!

MICHAEL NAGENBORG, co-editor of Ethics and Robotics (2009)

If Freedom Is Slavery, may philosophy be the liberator. In the fight against oppression, 1984 and Philosophy is an exceptional tool. Read carefully, however, Big Brother is watching.

JIM BERTI, co-editor, Rush and Philosophy: Heart and Mind United (2011)

Its the best book they already know you will be reading!

GERALD BROWNING, author of Demon in My Head (2011)

Orwells monumental 1984 may be even more important today than when it was first published, and the international array of philosophers whose essays are collected in this book explains why. Their essays broach important topics such as torture, mass surveillance, revolution, resistance to authoritarianism, news and media, freedom, history, and thought control. Its fascinating reading for people with any interest in philosophy and a must-read for anyone with even a single political bone in their body.

PETER S. FOSL, co-author of The Philosophers Toolkit (2002)

Winston Smith learns in excruciatingly painful detail how a fascist regime operates. But, even as the rats eat his face, he never learns why. This book reveals Big Brothers real thoughts.

KEVIN GUILFOY, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Carroll University

This is an indispensable companion for anyone remotely interested in resisting Newspeak, the thought police, and the other despotic tools of the super state in Orwells brilliant dystopian classic.

CHARLES TALIAFERRO, Chair of the Department of Philosophy, St. Olaf College

Why are we still having serious discussions about 1984? Its because concerns about control of bodies, state oppression, alternative facts, federal-level spying, identity politics, techno-augmentation and body modifications, and social media concerns are as real for us today as for the people in Oceania. The contributors to this book tackle these, and other, issues by examining how George Orwell, through Winston, brings discussions about these key social issues into sharp relief to help shed light on what it means to speak truth to power. The most important question raised by 1984 and Philosophy is whether resistance is futile. The answer is No.

CLINT JONES, co-editor of The Individual and Utopia (2015)

Irony abounds in high schoolers being forced to read 1984. The richness and, as recent history seems to indicate, the relevance of Orwells work could be lost. 1984 and Philosophy has salvaged this essential read for another generation. Its an important companion to the original and whether you buy it for the radical flair it will give your classroom discussion or simply as a born-again reader, partake and enjoy... BIG BROTHER DEMANDS IT!

DAN MIORI, author, physician assistant, dissolute bastard

Thought police, fake news, neoliberalism, mass incarceration, the pressure to continuously function like our technology, anyone? This team of philosophers present us with various philosophical and political views that help put Orwells issues in their proper context. The volume reads like one long, entertaining discussion of the ideas Orwell so artfully presented to us, surely for the sake of provoking analyses like these. While fans of 1984 will love this volume, it is also going to create some new admirers of Orwells genius.

JENNIFER BAKER, Professor of Philosophy, College of Charleston

For over thirty years, 1984 has been a fictional benchmark for such monumental issues as freedom and paternalism, knowledge and ignorance, artificial intelligence and politics. And now, more than ever, its important we truly grapple with these issues, in the real world. 1984 and Philosophy does this for us. Its great popular philosophical writing referencing an iconic novel, all the while, framing the world we currently inhabit.

JACK BOWEN, author of A Journey through the Landscape of Philosophy (2007)

In todays political climate, its more important than ever before to consider the political and philosophical message of Orwells 1984.

DAVID KYLE JOHNSON, author of The Myths that Stole Christmas (2015)

Have you ever wondered how those online retailers knew about your favorite kind of double-stuffed Oreo? Were you surprised when they recommended the perfect gift for your nieces First Communion? Big Brother might still be watching but so are his younger siblings Google, Facebook, and Amazon. This enlightening volume is a must-read for those of us wondering what it means to watch and be watched in todays frightening digital age.

ROBERTO SIRVENT, author of Embracing Vulnerability (2014)

Big Brother has been watching you for some time now in the forms of video surveillance at gas stations, fire stations, police stations, grocery stores, department stores, street corners, and even nurseries through nanny cams; the Party has always been in power, whether that be the Independent Party, the Federalist Party, the Republican Party, or the Democratic Party; and Newspeakthat obviously not ungood lingo that causes us to doublethink that 2 + 2 = 5is just political correctness in sheeps clothing. Why does Nineteen Eighty-Four resonate today as much as it did in 1984 or 1949? Because the topics discussed are deeply philosophical... and scary as sh@t.

ROBERT ARP, author of 1001 Ideas that Changed the Way We Think (2013)

The Party would like you to know that this book is subversive and dangerous; the Ministry of Truth has concluded that it fails to live up to the standards of our carefully crafted society. Anyone reading this book will be confused by its philosophical discussions of sexual enlightenment, government resistance, media manipulation, and doublethink. The Party has warned you!

COURTLAND LEWIS, author of Way of the Doctor: Doctor Whos Pocketbook Guide to the Good Life (2017)

Is there a more pointed, potent allegory of contemporary civilization than Orwells prescient post-World War II book, 1984? Supposing one lives through the rise of fascism, as the author did, its recrudescence seems highly plausible. Couple that return with advancing technologies that outpace human care and control, and tyrannys reassertion will be that much more vicious and capacious. The best way to counter the Thought Police is to think. This capable roster of scholars and critics does just that: discern ways to defend freedom, articulate the distinctions between truth and falsity in an age of simulacrum, and advance prospects for responding philosophically to the dictates of an encroaching tyranny that is anything but a fiction.

DAVID LAROCCA, editor of The Philosophy of War Films (2014)

Technological advances and recent concerns over censorship make many of the themes in 1984 extremely relevant. The authors in this book unpack many of the philosophical concerns over these issues. A great read!

MARC W. COLE, University of Leeds

Philosophy is the love of wisdom, but the only universal truth is the love of BIG BROTHER