Now the young generation has another reason to get obsessed with the popular fantasy TV series Game of Thrones. Well, a university in the U.K. is offering a new course based on the series famous as GOT.
Exploring tales of struggle & conquest
The course has been named ‘Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Politics, Power and War.’ Over two six-hour sessions, John Donaldson from the University of Glasgow will introduce key philosophical principles by using themes from the show. The students will explore philosophical ideas embedded in the show’s tales of struggle and conquest. These include the nature of political authority and legitimacy, game theory and war theory.
The Three Theories
Mr. Donaldson He hoped this new course will also be popular with students and newbies alike, “We will use important scenes from the show to introduce philosophy. The first thing we will look at is game theory which was huge during the Cold War in the 1960s. Russia and the U.S.A. used it in regards to their nuclear weapons.” Game theory was used by both countries during the Cold War, believing that any move, offensive or defensive, would be a mistake.
“The other two areas we will look at are political legitimacy and war theory. The first looks at the right to a throne. Philosophers look at anyone’s right to govern by discussing possible scenarios,” Mr. Donaldson said.
Mr. Donaldson further explained,
“The final part is on war theory. In Game of Thrones, there’s always a side that believes it is justified in attacking while the other side thinks otherwise. We will look at the argument from both sides while using one particular scene.”
Mr. Donaldson expertise is in running animation or TV based courses like — Examining the virtues of Homer Simpson, a popular animated character; ‘D’oh! The Simpsons introduce philosophy’ and an introductory course to philosophy based on the Star Wars series
