Co-Sponsorship In-person November Annual Meeting 2025

CO-SPONSORSHIP: Ethics Unit and Religion, Film, and Visual Culture Unit

Call for Proposals

The Ethicist as Hero 

The 2024 film Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. ignited criticism from scholars who argued that it distorts Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s legacy and promotes a message at odds with his writings. Similar criticism has been levied at Gandhi (1982), Confucius (2010), Hannah Arendt (2012), and Restless Heart: The Confessions of Saint Augustine (2012). Do the historical figures who appear on ethics course syllabi also belong on the silver screen? What are the benefits and dangers of looking to the lives of philosophers and theologians for inspiration and entertainment? How have storytellers done this responsibly or irresponsibly in the past, and what lessons can be learned from analyzing their efforts?

Review Process: Participant names are anonymous to chairs and steering committee members until after final acceptance/rejection