Teaching Philosophy Through Connoisseurship: The Case of Toy Story 4 and the Creation of Values

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Innovative Views of the Arts and Media in Education

Abstract

In the field of philosophy pedagogy, there have been many successful attempts to integrate interactive and media-based instruction into the philosophy curriculum. This presentation will make the argument that one previously unexplored but potentially fruitful approach to philosophy pedagogy is the method of connoisseurship. This presentation explores Nietzsche’s philosophy of self-determination and value creation within the context of the film Toy Story 4. Drawing on Elliot Eisner’s argument about what the arts teach, the potential of connoisseurship as a method of teaching and learning will be discussed.

Author

• Aaron Samuel Zimmerman, Texas Tech University