Are those infected by the Cordyceps conscious?
Are communities necessary for human survival and flourishing?
Should Ellie forgive Joel?
Is Abby’s revenge morally justified? Is Ellie’s?
The Last of Us franchise includes two of the best video games ever created and the critically acclaimed HBO series. Renowned for brilliant gameplay and world-class narrative, The Last of Us raises timeless and enduring philosophical questions. Beautiful, thrilling, and tragic, Ellie’s story of survival is as philosophical as it is profound.
The Last of Us and Philosophy brings together an international team of philosophical experts and fans exploring the timeless questions raised by the video games and the show. Drawing insights ranging from Aristotle and Abby to Buddha and Bill, this book elucidates the roles that trust, community, love, justice, and hope play in The Last of Us. Twenty-four original essays cover both The Last of Us Part I and II and the HBO series, offering accessible and nuanced philosophical analysis of Naughty Dog’s amazing world.
Whether you’re a fan of the video games or of the HBO series, The Last of Us and Philosophy will take you on a philosophical journey where you look for the light.
Table of Contents
Contributors: Survivors viii
Acknowledgments: Thank Who You Can Thank xiv
Introduction: No Questions Left Behind xv
Part I Joel's Choice 1
1 Joel's Choice: Apocalyptic Fantasies, Dystopian Hope, and the Post-Human Question 3
Clint Wesley Jones
2 Justifying Joel: In Defense of Love and Favoritism 10
Daniel Irwin and William Irwin
3 "He Who Fights with Monsters": Inner-Circle vs. the World in The Last of Us 19
Dylan Skurka
4 Is Humanity Worth Saving?: Philosophical Pessimism and Joel's Choice 26
Quân Nguyen
Part II Justice 35
5 Is Ellie's Revenge Ethically Justified? 37
Alberto Oya
6 Necessary Violence in The Last of Us Part II 45
Tim Jones
7 Natural Law and Positive Law: Marlene's Understanding of Law and Justice 52
Juliele Maria Sievers
8 The Last of Us, Hobbes, and the State of Nature 58
Armond Boudreaux
9 Decision Making and Exclusion in The Last of Us 65
Yassine Dguidegue
Part III The Individual and Society 71
10 Trust, Trustworthiness, and Betrayal in a Post-Apocalyptic World 73
Mackenzie Graham
11 Caring for Ellie: From Cadet, to Cargo, to (Almost) Cure 81
Traci Phillipson
12 The Last of Love: Eudaimonia, Friendship, and Love in The Last of Us 89
Darci Doll
13 Ellie and Abby Are the Queer Feminist Icons We've Been Waiting For 97
Susan Peppers-Bates and Mary Bernard
Part IV Monsters and Us 105
14 Kiss of a Cordy: Why Are Humans the Scariest Monsters? 107
Mariya Dvoskina
15 Self-Deception and Moral Failure in The Last of Us 113
Charles Joshua Horn
16 What Is It Like to Be a Clicker?: Consciousness and Cognition in The Last of Us 121
Lucas Hinojosa-López and Remis Ramos Carreño
17 Global Indigenous Philosophy: Remembering the "Us" 129
Matthew Crippen
Part V The Humanity of The Last of Us 139
18 Better to Be Socrates Dissatisfied Than an Infected Satisfied?: Happiness, Flourishing, and the Good Life in The Last of Us 141
Steve Bein
19 Aesthetics at the End of the World: Uncanny Objects in The Last of Us 149
Enea Bianchi
20 Meaning and Emotion in the Music of The Last of Us 156
Lance Belluomini
21 "Some Folks Call This Thing Here a Gee-Tar": Music Making, Duende, Schopenhauer, and Reconciliation in The Last of Us Part II 164
Per F. Broman
22 Humor and Human Intimacy in The Last of Us 172
Michael K. Cundall Jr.
Part VI Religious Considerations at the End of the World 179
23 God as a Survival Tool: Religion in a World of Desperation 181
Federico Dal Barco
24 "I Don't Think I Can Ever Forgive You for That": Forgiving the Unforgivable in The Last of Us 188
Peter Admirand
Index 195
