Examined Life

April 13, 2009
Taylor—director of the 2007 documentary Zizek!—
takes philosophy out of the academy and restores it to its peripatetic origins by allowing the field's brightest minds to publicly ruminate on such classic themes as truth and ethics. A companion to her 2008 documentary of the same name, the book cannot convey the film's visual surprises—e.g., watching Slavoj Zizek discuss ecology in the middle of a London garbage dump and Peter Singer musing on consumerism in Times Square—but where the film winnowed 90-minute interviews into 10 minutes of conversation, the book contains the complete conversations: Kwame Anthony Appiah expounds on cosmopolitanism in an airport; Martha Nussbaum ponders justice; Cornel West hitches a ride with Taylor through Manhattan and delivers an electrifying discussion on his philosophy of the blues. The subjects are unfailingly erudite, charismatic and surprisingly funny (Zizek, in particular, delights in needling Taylor for her “liberal, vegan, hippie” tendencies). It is regrettable that Taylor does not challenge her subjects more—she is too often the earnest and assenting graduate student—but she shines in her introduction, which is both apologia and agenda for philosophy's future.

May 15, 2009
This accompaniment to Taylor's documentary film of the same name, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2008, is a peripatetic effort to bring philosophy to the streets. Taylor speaks with today's most influential thinkers in settings that give meaning and inspiration to the discussions. Most notable are Peter Singer's thoughts on ethics and consumption in the middle of busy Fifth Avenue, Michael Hardt's talk of revolution in a rowboat in Central Park, and Slavoj 'iek strolling through a garbage dump while criticizing environmentalism. There are also appearances by Cornel West, Avital Ronell, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Martha Nussbaum, and Judith Butler. Both the book and the film attempt to make philosophy approachable, and the majority of the discussions here do just that. Taylor, for better or worse, refrains from any overarching theme or commentary, although her interactions with these thinkers do go beyond mere interviews to productive philosophical debates. As in life, in the end it is the walks and the fruitful conversations that are important. Recommended for public libraries. [Look for the DVD review in a future issue.Ed.]Steven Chabot, Ontario Ministry of Labour, Toronto

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