Abstract

Captivating movies are like dreams. They offer a break from our ordinary lives, a release from the stranglehold of mundane concerns, and a passport to fascinating worlds that exist only in imagination. This is all certainly true of James Cameron's spectacular 2009 film Avatar. The beauty of Avatar and of Pandora left many moviegoers shuddering in pure awe. Some viewers even reported that they suffered bouts of depression as they went into Pandora withdrawal. That's one reason why Avatar has generated so much interest among warriors of the “egghead clan,” including the contributors to this volume. In the pages that follow, philosophers weigh in on many of the most contentious moral and political issues raised by the movie, addressing topics such as environmental ethics, colonialism, war, and the conduct of corporations.