Thought and Philosophy
If Chaplin Were Alive Today, What Would He Say About AI?
This article is a thought experiment. Of course we cannot know what Chaplin would think about artificial intelligence. But what he said in his films about machines, authority and humanity offers a surprisingly good lens for looking at today's technology. …
The Tramp's Ethics: Poverty, Dignity and Humanity
A bowler hat, a tight jacket, baggy trousers, enormous shoes and a cane. At first glance the Tramp looks like a clown's costume. But Chaplin designed it as a collection of contradictions: every piece clashes with another. Just like the …
The Seriousness of Laughter: Chaplin's Philosophy of Life
Most of us remember Charlie Chaplin as a funny man who falls over, runs away, hides from the police and eats his own shoe. Yet when you watch his films one after another, you notice a very serious view of …