Final Fantasy and Philosophy · The Ultimate Walkthrough by Beaulieu, Michel S. -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series Title Page Copyright Page GETTING STARTED PART ONE - BASIC CONTROLS AND UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHARACTERS Chapter 1 - THE SPIKY-HAIRED MERCENARY VS. THE FRENCH NARRATIVE THEORIST: FINAL

Chapter 2 - KEFKA, NIETZSCHE, FOUCAULT: MADNESS AND NIHILISM IN FINAL FANTASY VI

A Kefkaesque Beginning Kefka: The Man behind the Laugh Foucault: A Method to His Madness The Age of (Un)Reason God Is Dead! Long Live Kefka! Nietzsche: The Meaning of Morality in the World of Ruin Neo-Kefka: Übermensch or Failed God? Is Reason Really Madness? NOTES

Chapter 3 - JUDGING THE ART OF VIDEO GAMES: HUME AND THE STANDARD OF TASTE

Beauty Is Not in the Eye of the Evil Eye Could Cloud Strife Beat Superman in a Fight? The Sea Devil’s in the Details Brewing a Remedy: Qualities of Good Judges Charmed by Bias Confused by Culture and Blinded by Our Dispositions Is Hume’s Airship Flying in Circles? Taking Care of Bad Breath NOTES

PART TWO - PLAYING THE GAME-BUT WHAT IF IT’S NOT A GAME? Chapter 4 - THE LIFESTREAM, MAKO, AND GAIA

Tapping the Lifestream AVALANCHE vs. Shinra Dr. Cid, Meet Dr. Lovelock Are the Bad Guys Bad but Right? NOTES

Chapter 5 - GAIA AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS IN THE SPIRITS WITHIN

A Tale of Two Gaias The Zeus Cannon: A Hein-ous Idea Gaia’s Revenge and the Fate of Humanity Who Cares? A Cancerous Tumor Inside Gaia NOTES

Chapter 6 - OBJECTIFICATION OF CONSCIOUS LIFE FORMS IN FINAL FANTASY

Use Me, Even in Your Fantasies . . Three Reasons Not to Use Life Forms . . . and Three Reasons to Use Life Forms Kant vs. Shinra A Utilitarian Moral Stalemate: Sacrificing Party Members Virtue Ethics: Aristotle, Aeris, and Sephiroth So, What Character Do You Aspire to Be? Aeris or a Cloud? NOTES

PART THREE - ABILITIES YOU NEVER KNEW YOU HAD Chapter 7 - FINAL FANTASY AND THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

Hobbes vs. the Hobgoblins John Stuart Mill Rides the Chocobo Aristotle Conquers the Elvaan Doing Things Your Way. Ghaa Haah Hah Hah! NOTES

Chapter 8 - THE FOUR WARRIORS OF LIGHT SAVED THE WORLD, BUT THEY DON’T DESERVE

If the Sage Can See It All, Are the Heroes Really Free? What If the Warriors Met God? If the Heroes Are Trapped, They Can’t Be Blamed . . . or Can They? Why Harry Frankfurt Would Still Thank the Warriors Why Are the Heroes Heroes? Can Our Heroes Really Want to Save the World? Can Phineas Gage Be a Hero? NOTES

PART FOUR - SIDE QUESTS OF THE ENLIGHTENED Chapter 9 - SHINTO AND ALIEN INFLUENCES IN FINAL FANTASY VII

Japan in Final Fantasy VII: “Watch Out! This Isn’t Just a [Video Game]!!” Going Kami, Going Green Tsumi as Cultural Invasion Responses to Foreign Matter NOTES

Chapter 10 - KUPO FOR KARL AND THE MATERIALIST CONCEPTION OF HISTORY

The Job System and Class Consciousness Fiends and Feuerbach “Champion of the Sewers Aspires to Noble Action” Moogles of the World, Unite? Final Fantasy, Interrupted NOTES

Chapter 11 - SIN, OTHERWORLDLINESS, AND THE DOWNSIDE TO HOPE

Backstories The Dream of Spira Striving for the Farplane The Value Inversion The Maester’s Lie The End of Yevon NOTES

From the Midgar Train to the World at Large: Thrown into Existence Is God Dead? Nietzschean Nihilism and Mako Morality Condemned to Be Free? The Bad Faith of SOLDIER Inauthenticity and the Life of the Mercenary From SOLDIER to Savior: Cloud’s Turn to Authenticity Cloud’s Choice and Ours NOTES

Chapter 13 - IS THE FEAR OF STOPPING JUSTIFIED?

Stopping’s Effect on Subjective Values: Morality, Knowledge, and the Value of Life Necron a Hero?! A Formula to an Answer NOTES

Chapter 14 - WHAT’S IN A NAME? CID, CLOUD, AND HOW NAMES REFER

CONTRIBUTORS INDEX