Mad Max and Philosophy

Explore the philosophy at the core of the apocalyptic future of Mad Max Beneath the stylized violence and thrilling car crashes, the Mad Max films consider universal questions about the nature of human life, order and anarchy, justice and moral responsibility, society and technology, and ultimately, human redemption. In Mad Max and Philosophy, a diverse team of political scientists, historians, and philosophers investigates the underlying themes of the blockbuster movie franchise, following Max as he attempts to rebuild himself and the world around him. Requiring no background in philosophy, this engaging and highly readable book guides you through the barren wastelands of a post-apocalyptic future as you explore ethics and politics in The Wasteland, the importance of costumes and music, humankind's relationship with nature, commerce, gender, religion, madness, and much more. - Covers all of George Miller's Mad Max films, including Mad Max: Fury Road - Discusses connections between Mad Max and Nietzsche, Malthus, Mill, Foucault, Sartre, and other major philosophers - Follows Max's journey from policeman and family man to lost soul in search of redemption - Examines the future of technology and possible impacts on society, the environment, and access to natural resources - Delves into feminist themes of Mad Max, such as the reversal of heroic gender roles in Fury Road and relationships between power and procreation Part of the bestselling Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, Mad Max and Philosophy: Thinking Through the Wasteland is a must-read for anyone wanting to philosophically engage with Max, Furiosa, and their dystopian world.

MATTHEW P. MEYER is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He has contributed chapters to several books in the Wiley "And Philosophy" series, as well as journal articles covering Nietzsche, Mystic River, environmental ethics, and colonialism. DAVID KOEPSELL is an entrepreneur, author, philosopher, attorney, and educator whose recent research focuses on the issues arising at the intersection of science, technology, ethics, and public policy. He is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department at Texas A&M University.

Notes on Contributors viii Introduction: Doing Philosophy in the Wasteland xiv Acknowledgments xvi Part I Politics after the Pox-Eclipse: Anarchy, State, and Dystopia 1 1 Post-apocalyptic Anarchism in Mad Max 3 Aeon J. Skoble 2 Even on the Road, Violence Is Not the Same as Power 11 Anthony Petros Spanakos and Ian J. Drake 3 Thomas Hobbes and the State of Nature in the Wasteland 19 Greg Littmann 4 The Political Economy of Bartertown: Embeddedness of Markets, Peak Oil, the Tragedy of the Commons, and Lifeboat Ethics 29 Paul Thomas 5 From Wee Jerusalem to Fury Road: Does Mad Max Depict a Post-apocalyptic Dystopia? 38 Clint Jones Part II The Man with No Name: Heroes and Finding Oneself Post-apocalypse Style 49 6 "Pray He's Still out There": Heroism in the Mad Max Films 51 Karen Joan Kohoutek 7 Bloodbags and Artificial Arms: Bodily Parthood in Mad Max: Fury Road 60 Joshua L. Tepley 8 The Meaning of Life According to Mad Max: Fury Road 71 Kiki Berk Part III Building a Better Tomorrow! Ethics in Mad Max 83 9 What Saves the World? Care and Ecofeminism 85 Leigh Kellmann Kolb 10 Seeking the Good Life in the Wasteland 95 Andrew Kuzma 11 "We're Not to Blame!" Responsibility in the Wasteland 106 Justin Kitchen 12 "Look, Any Longer out on That Road and I'm One of Them, You Know?": Madness in Mad Max 116 Matthew P. Meyer 13 Justice, Reason, and the Road Warrior: A Mechanic Reads Plato 126 David H. Gordon Part IV Mother's Milk: Gender and Intersectionality 135 14 Homecoming as Homemaking: The Rise of the Matriarchy in Mad Max: Fury Road 137 Daniel Conway 15 Liberating Mother's Milk: Imperator Furiosa's Ecofeminist Revolution 148 Jacob Quick 16 Demarginalizing Aunty Entity and Dismantling Thunderdome 159 Edwardo Pérez and Thanayi Jackson 17 Gayboy Berserkers at the Gate: Sex and Gender in the Wasteland 170 Jacob M. Held Part V Wasteland Aesthetics: Music, Fashion, Australia, and Nature 181 18 Driving Insanity, Chaos, and Emotion: The Music of Mad Max: Fury Road 183 Lance Belluomini 19 Carapaces and Prosthetics: What Humans Wear in Mad Max: Fury Road 195 Laura T. Di Summa 20 Does It Matter How Australian the Apocalypse Is? 203 Greg Littmann 21 The Moral Aesthetics of Nature: Bioconservativism in Mad Max 215 David Koepsell Index 226