That philosophy GE class you took could apply to The Walking Dead
If you’re daydreaming in your philosophy class right now, start paying attention because what you’re learning might come in handy should you find yourself in the middle of The Walking Dead.
As we wait for The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead to return, I find myself thinking about big picture questions surrounding the show. It’s too early in the apocalypse to think about new societies on Fear the Walking Dead, but it seems like society will be about ready to be rebuilt after the events of All Out War on The Walking Dead. That means everything you have learned and are learning in your ethics and philosophy classes might actually come in handy.
We’re in the middle of back to school season, and across the country there are college freshmen settling into their philosophy and ethics classes because those classes are part of the general education requirements for all students. They’re wondering what the heck they’re doing there learning all of that fluffy nonsense when they could be out learning about things that they’ll use in everyday life.
(I felt the same way about Algebra, by the way)
As someone who studied both political science and history, I can tell you that several years after you graduate college you start to see why philosophy and ethics could be useful, if only it was framed properly.
(I’m in my mid-30s and am still searching for the meaning behind Algebra)
(Also, I know there are awesome professors out there who do a great job framing why we should learn about philosophy and ethics. For those of us who didn’t have one of those professors, I’m going to try to frame it for you)
It might not seem like it at the time, but learning about philosophical and ethical principles could be a useful tool when you’re trying to build a new society in the zombie apocalypse. Utilitarianism could be especially useful as you consider the needs of the few and weigh them against the needs of the many.
We’ve seen examples of how some of the groups on The Walking Dead have formed councils to govern, while other communities choose one person to rule. There is rule by fear and rulers who are very fair. Anyone who read Machiavelli’s The Prince would probably have an upper hand in the zombie apocalypse.
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- Walking Dead actor Chandler Riggs filming new movie in Tampa Bay
- Why is there no season 12 of The Walking Dead?
- Will Morgan Jones find Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live spinoff?
- Watch Tales of TWD actress Jillian Bell in Prime Video’s Candy Cane Lane
The great thing about The Walking Dead is that the world has been shaped by ordinary people who pull from their own life experiences in order to figure out how to survive. That means that somewhere out there someone in the TWD universe is probably thinking about Machiavelli and Kant and John Stuart Mill and trying to come up with the best plan to create a prosperous community. (Or we can at least hope someone is!)
The Walking Dead returns October 22 on AMC.