[...]... metaphysics (the study of ultimate reality), epistemology (the study of knowledge), ethics (the study of right living) and axiology (the study of value, of which ethics is one facet), aesthetics (the study of art and beauty), political philosophy, feminism, and existentialism, among others Because we are teachers as well as scholars, each chapter is written for those new to philosophy; thus, the discussions... character development Preface xvii The book concludes with two appendixes The first, written by Joseph Foy, is a synopsis of the main story line mythology running through The X-Files Professor Foy reminds us of the intricacies of the Syndicate, the black oil, and pending alien colonization The second is an episode-by-episode synopsis through Fight the Future (Because of this, only post–season 5 episodes... that the burden of proof was on them, the believers, not on me, the skeptic Since, naturally, the believers were never satisfied with this reply, I determined to investigate further Eventually I stumbled on CSICOP— the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal—and discovered that most paranormal claims had been subjected to rigorous research—and found wanting Among the many... said in the 1996 Dimbleby Lecture: A fair defence, you might think But soap operas, cop series and the like are justly criticised if, week after week, they ram home the same prejudice or bias Each week The X-Files poses a mystery and offers two rival kinds of explanation, the rational theory and the paranormal theory And, week after week, the rational explanation loses But it is only fiction, a bit of fun,... leading the examined life I am, of course, indebted to Mark Conard, Steve Wrinn, and Anne Dean Watkins at the University Press of Kentucky They were incredibly helpful and supportive in preparing the manuscript and bringing the book to fruition A debt of gratitude is also owed to Cheryl Hoffman; her subtle but skilled editorial hand has made the manuscript immeasurably more readable I am grateful to the. .. summaries of each episode of The X-Files at http://xfiles.wearehere.net/xfiles.htm; these were an invaluable resource to me in crafting my own episode summaries Without their knowing it, their work made my job of editing the book much easier While I am grateful for the efforts of all my colleagues and contributing authors, I owe tremendous debts of thanks to Professors Evan Kreider and Joe Foy The former... They regularly insist on substantiating their approaches and hypotheses with evidence (broadly conceived) and logical rigor, all in hopes of locating the truth “out there” that continually eludes them This, again, is a staple of quality philosophical inquiry The School of Athens Analogy I would like to say—and, dare I say, want to believe — that the divergent approaches embodied in the characters of. .. analogous to those of two giants from the history of philosophy: Plato and Aristotle I suspect that many of my professionally trained colleagues will scoff at this purported analogy and accuse me of speaking tongue in cheek But allow me to explain There is a famous painting by Raphael called The School of Athens The two focal points are Plato and his star pupil, Aristotle Curiously, the two philosophers... also been offered for Plato’s proclivities to look toward an unearthly realm, specifically his early involvement with Pythagorean mathematics and the psychological effects of witnessing his teacher’s “abduction” by the Introduction 3 Athenian court These facts might drive Plato to believe that the truth is out there”; in this way it is beyond the seditious grip of the Sophists, or the untrained Athenian... [the paranormal vogue in popular media] may be an attempt to cash in on the success of The X-Files This is fiction and therefore defensible as pure entertainment A fair defense, you might think But soap operas, cop series and the like are justly criticized if, week after week, they ram home the same prejudice or bias Each week The X-Files poses a mystery and offers two rival kinds of explanation, the . Davis THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY Publication of this volume was made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Copyright © 2007 by The University Press of Kentucky Scholarly. h0" alt="" THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE X-FILES The Philosophy of Popular Culture The books published in the Philosophy of Popular Culture series will illu- minate and explore philosophical themes and. Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and