In the third session of the HSRC Talk Series for the Monsoon ’24 semester, a thought-provoking film Examined Life was screened on 4 September followed by an insightful discussion led by Dr. Ashwin Jayanthi.

In Examined Life, filmmaker Astra Taylor takes philosophy out of the classroom, exploring ideas with some of today’s most influential thinkers as they engage in everyday tasks. The film opens with Socrates’ famous dictum,  The unexamined life is not worth living, setting the tone for a series of intellectual explorations. Peter Singer reflects on the ethics of consumerism while strolling through Fifth Avenue’s luxury boutiques, and Slavoj Žižek critiques environmental beliefs amid a garbage dump. Michael Hardt ponders revolution amidst symbols of wealth, while Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor challenge our fixation on individualism in San Francisco’s Mission District, among others.

 During the post-screening discussion, Dr. Ashwin Jayanthi encouraged participants to consider how these philosophical questions resonate with contemporary life at IIITH. The conversation delved into topics such as whether we should examine our personal lives or society as a whole, and whether leisure is a necessary condition for contemplating philosophy or the meaning of life. Some participants critiqued the film for its focus on the American context, noting the absence of Eastern philosophy. The session concluded with plenty of food for thought, leaving everyone with new perspectives to consider.

September 2024