Inception and Philosophy: Ideas to Die For

by Thorsten Botz-Bornstein (Editor)

You have to go deeper. Inception is more than just a nail-biting heist story, more than just one of the greatest movies of all time.
The latest neuroscience and philosophy of mind tell us that shared dreams and the invasion of dreams may soon become reality. Inception and Philosophy: Ideas to Die For takes you through the labyrinth, onto the infinite staircase, exploring the movie’s hidden architecture, picking up its unexpected clues.
How will Inception change your thinking? You can’t imagine.
How will Inception and Philosophy change your life? You simply have no idea.

Genres: Philosophy, Film, Pop Culture, Media Tie In, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2011

Reviews

[· · Rating 4 out of 5]

(2 January, 2012)

Is the real issue here perception? The ending of the movie suggested that it is. In the end what matters to Cobb is what he perceives as real. By not looking as his (formally Mal's) totem he shows us, the audience, that it is no longer of value to him to be sure that he is in the 'real' world, the one he perceives will do. One essay here proposes that Berkeley might have been right in his assertion that esse est percipi. If so, where does that leave Cobb? How about us?

Essays on time, specifically the subjective/objective dichotomy, exegeses of the movie's portrayal of reality and arguments for what is moral or immoral (or amoral) in dreams make for fascinating food for thought. A must read for any hardcore fan of this excellent film.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good so far. Especially enjoyed the chapters on choice and autonomy which I hadn't really thought of before in this context. Apparently, the last few chapters are supposed to be the best so I will see how it goes and post a final review at the end.

[Emily Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating from beginning to end. The last few pages especially, it brought up ideas that I know I would have never ever considered.

Well done Inception. Well done Philosophy.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is reality and how do you know? Interesting stuff.

[Jeff Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific observations. I liked the psychoanalytic essay the best. It was all a dream, until Cobb (DiCaprio) opens his eyes in the plane at the end of the film.

[Leandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars
Unfortunately, this book was absolutely not what I was expecting. I have to be honest that I was kind of bored reading it. Although I love Inception and I love learning about philosophy, I feel like the majority of the chapters failed to really connect me to the film's contents. Also - although I understand that philosophy is supposed to entail a lot of far fetched ideas - some of the concepts really were just too far-fetched when relating it to Inception. I would have enjoyed to have seen more of Inception's plot being interpreted in a philosophical light, but this book mainly had authors reading their own philosophical ideas into certain aspects of Inception which I thought were unfortunately unfitting.

[Lolli Molyneux · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overall, I was really disappointed with this book.
I found some of the essay titles intriguing and believed they may hold valuable insights into some of the topics I am currently studying. But they were all executed poorly. Big ideas are introduced and glanced over, some are very repetitive and overall the presentation of thought is rather amateur. The ideas expressed are overly generalised and rather speculative, and exist without evidentiary support throughout. Really disappointed - I don't think the authors have done the film or the subject justice.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

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