We have read about various themes of postmodernism in our textbook, but now we are going to seek to view these themes in our culture and ask ourselves the hard questions. A central point of postmodernism is the idea of hyperreality. Hyperreality is the idea that a consciousness (a person) cannot distinguish between something that is real and something that they think is real. An example we've used a lot in this class is The Matrix: the people (consciousness) plugged into the matrix cannot tell that the matrix is fake, because they think it is real.
While the Matrix presents the idea of hyperreality, it does so in such a way that it seems a crazy fantasy. A movie that doesn't do this is The Truman Show. Without giving anything away, this film shows us how this idea can apply to us in today's world.
Both The Matrix and The Truman Show force us to ask ourselves: who are we? And perhaps scariest of all, both show that we cannot answer that question ourselves. Both Neo in The Matrix and Truman in The Truman Show identify themselves in the beginning of their movies much differently than they do at the end. Both are victims of hyperreality. Both thought something very basic about themselves that was, in fact, wrong. The postmodern point? That a search for identity is a task that can't be achieved without self-deception of some kind.
We as a class will investigate these themes in four ways:
(1) By watching The Truman Show in class.
(2) Reading this dictionary defining the philosophical theory of hyperreality.
(3) Reading the essay "Meditation in a Toolshed," by C.S. Lewis.
(4) Reading the essay "The Problem of the Self" by Timothy Keller.
(5) Essay Response: After giving time to do each of the tasks above, you will write a 3-5 page paper (typed, Times New Roman size 12, double-spaced) answering the question: How can we know our identity? In the paper you should do the following:
While the Matrix presents the idea of hyperreality, it does so in such a way that it seems a crazy fantasy. A movie that doesn't do this is The Truman Show. Without giving anything away, this film shows us how this idea can apply to us in today's world.
Both The Matrix and The Truman Show force us to ask ourselves: who are we? And perhaps scariest of all, both show that we cannot answer that question ourselves. Both Neo in The Matrix and Truman in The Truman Show identify themselves in the beginning of their movies much differently than they do at the end. Both are victims of hyperreality. Both thought something very basic about themselves that was, in fact, wrong. The postmodern point? That a search for identity is a task that can't be achieved without self-deception of some kind.
We as a class will investigate these themes in four ways:
(1) By watching The Truman Show in class.
(2) Reading this dictionary defining the philosophical theory of hyperreality.
(3) Reading the essay "Meditation in a Toolshed," by C.S. Lewis.
(4) Reading the essay "The Problem of the Self" by Timothy Keller.
(5) Essay Response: After giving time to do each of the tasks above, you will write a 3-5 page paper (typed, Times New Roman size 12, double-spaced) answering the question: How can we know our identity? In the paper you should do the following:
- Explain the idea of hyperreality using your own words.
- Reference all of the above reading material at least once.
- Use the examples provided by the film "The Truman Show" in your paper.
- Provide one other pop-culture reference to illustrate hyperreality
- Use Keller especially to help you answer the question from a Christian perspective
- Apply the idea to your own experience
