Faculty Focus
Studying James Bond
Professor finds philosophy in 007 series
 Plato, Aristotle and Socrates make sense, but do James Bond and Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Are there philosophical lessons to be learned from these two icons of pop culture? Dr. James South, associate professor of philosophy, says yes.
South co-edited the book James Bond and Philosophy: Questions are Forever, published in time for the debut of the new film version of Ian Fleming’s first 007 adventure, Casino Royale.
The idea for this book came out of South’s previous offbeat study of the issues embedded in the Buffy character.
“I gave a paper at a conference on Ian Fleming and James Bond, tracing the influence of themes from Bond movies on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” South says. “Interacting with other Bond scholars at that convention convinced me that a book of essays treating Bond and philosophy would be a good idea.”
The book includes 15 essays that examine hidden philosophical issues in the hazardous, deceptive, glamorous world of Bond, “M” and Miss Moneypenny. It also delves into the complex themes and storylines woven through Fleming’s books and the corresponding movies. Are the characters in the Bond series merely evil villains, sexy vixens and classically flawed heroes? Or are they the personification of the existential theories of Plato? Is James Bond, as Nietzsche would say, “beyond good and evil?”
South’s book attempts to bring some closure to those questions..
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