Abstract
This introduction contextualises its raison d’etre namely that there are non-, a-, and anti-theoretical ways of engaging in serious academic scholarship in the philosophy of film and film studies. It identifies a raft of theory-free methods, some but not all of which are Wittgensteinian, and concludes by briefly summarising the individual contributions to this volume.
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Notes
- 1.
See Fox and Harrison (2020) and the rest of our Special Issue of the journal Aesthetic Investigations dedicated to Philosophy of Film Without Theory in the wake of the inaugural international ‘Philosophy of Film Without Theory’ conference, held at the University of York in 2019.
- 2.
- 3.
One could make the case for Carroll (2011) as exemplifying philosophy of film without theory.
- 4.
See Kenny (2009).
- 5.
We take this point to be consistent with various ways others bring philosophy to bear on film. See also, for example, Stephen Mulhall’s discussion around his disappointment that commentary on his On Film focused on the “general philosophical claims” instead of his readings of particular films (Mulhall, 2008, p. 134ff.).
- 6.
See particularly Allen & Turvey’s Introduction to the volume, ‘Wittgenstein’s later philosophy: a prophylaxis against theory’ (2001, pp. 1–36) and the included reprint of P.M.S. Hacker’s ‘Wittgenstein and the autonomy of humanistic understanding’; a seminal work in the argument for theory-free philosophy tout court.
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Filmography
Bergman, I. (Director). (1974). Scenes from a Marriage. Cinematograph AB.
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Fox, C., Harrison, B. (2023). Introduction: Philosophy of Film, With and Without Theory. In: Fox, C., Harrison, B. (eds) Philosophy of Film Without Theory. Palgrave Film Studies and Philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13654-2_1
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