Popular Culture and Philosophy

In Homeland and Philosophy, 23 philosophers tackle the issues that Showtime''s award winning show, Homeland, asks us to consider. The show, which centers on Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody''s release from an al-Qaeda prison, and CIA Agent Carrie Mathison''s distrust of his intentions, asks questions of identity, what it means to be a terrorist, the conditions and effects of brainwashing, lying for the greater good, and whether or not courage is a virtue.

But these questions are only a few among many that are explored in the shadowy spy-filled world of Homeland. Through the lenses of Rawls, Kant, Arendt, Foucault, Heidegger, Sartre, and Kierkegaard, among others, Homeland and Philosophy considers the ethics of drone warfare; whether or not Carrie Mathison''s personality changes and psychological disorder make her an interesting character study in the metaphysics of personhood; at what point is privacy only an illusion; and concepts of torture, punishment, and discipline.

Nicholas Brody is a Marine, a terrorist, a double agent, a congressman, a father, a husband, a lover, and a friend...but who is Nicholas Brody?