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"Wisdom for Life: A Guide to Western Philosophy," an award-winning documentary film about philosophy and religion featuring four Columbia University professors, makes its debut on WNYE, a New York PBS station, on January 9. The architecture of New York City acts as a metaphor for many of the ideas in the film, and the city is depicted as an engine for new ideas.
The film presents nine contemporary philosophers from around the world -- including four Columbia faculty members -- who explain the role that logic plays in clarifying our beliefs about justice, religion, science and the clash between secularism and fundamentalism. Viewers are invited on a journey to explore the ideas of many of the greatest contemporary philosophers of the 21 st century and, along the way, to challenge their own assumptions about logic and certainty.
WNYE will air "Wisdom for Life" four times in January: Monday, Jan. 9, at noon and 11 p.m., and Friday, Jan. 13, at 5 a.m. and 11 a.m.
The four featured Columbia University philosophy faculty members dramatize the clash between secular and religious outlooks. Some of their ideas follow:
• Akeel Bilgrami, Johnsonian professor and Koran scholar, brings fresh insight to the events of 9/11.
• Achille Varzi, associate professor, explains the elements of reason -- premise, inference, conclusion -- to help viewers better understand their ideas and beliefs.
• Arthur Danto, Professor Emeritus, discusses Moorish Spain -- when Christians, Jews and Muslims all lived together in harmony -- and brings light to many current misconceptions.
• Taylor Carman, associate professor at Barnard, investigates the line between love and fanaticism by addressing the story of Abraham's near blood sacrifice of his son -- a story told in the Bible, the Koran and the writings of Kant and Kierkegaard.
"The West has more to offer than consumerism," the film's producer James Thomas explains. "But most of us are too hustled and bustled to wade through Wittgenstein's Tractatus or Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. I produced the program so that viewers would have an opportunity to benefit from the thinking process of some very smart philosophers."
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