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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The Dream Team xi <p>The Editor’s Totem: An Elegant Solution for Keeping Track of Reality 1</p> <p>Introduction: Plato’s Academy Award 11</p> <p><b>PART ONE WAS MAL RIGHT? WAS IT ALL JUST A DREAM?: MAKING SENSE OF INCEPTION</b></p> <p>1 Was It All a Dream?: Why Nolan’s Answer Doesn’t Matter 17<br /> <i>Ruth Tallman</i></p> <p>2 Let Me Put My Thoughts in You: It Was All Just a Dream 31<br /> <i>Jason Southworth</i></p> <p>3 Even If It Is a Dream, We Should Still Care 46<br /> <i>Andrew Terjesen</i></p> <p>4 The Unavoidable Dream Problem 62<br /> <i>James T. M. Miller</i></p> <p><b>PART TWO IS THE TOP STILL SPINNING?: TACKLING THE UNANSWERABLE QUESTION</b></p> <p>5 The Parable of the Spinning Top: Skepticism, Angst, and Cobb’s Choice 77<br /> <i>Katherine Tullmann</i></p> <p>6 Reality Doesn’t Really Matter 92<br /> <i>Dan Weijers</i></p> <p>7 Why Care whether the Top Keeps Spinning? 108<br /> <i>Bart Engelen</i></p> <p><b>PART THREE IS INCEPTION POSSIBLE?: THE METAPHYSICS, ETHICS, AND MECHANICS OF INCEPTING</b></p> <p>8 How to Hijack a Mind: <i>Inception</i> and the Ethics of Heist Films 125<br /> <i>Daniel P. Malloy</i></p> <p>9 Inception, Teaching, and Hypnosis: The Ethics of Idea-Giving 140<br /> <i>Adam Barkman</i></p> <p>10 Inception and Free Will: Are They Compatible? 152<br /> <i>John R. Fitzpatrick and David Kyle Johnson</i></p> <p>11 Honor and Redemption in Corporate Espionage 166<br /> <i>Albert J. Chan</i></p> <p><b>PART FOUR WHAT IS DREAMING?: EXPLORING THE NATURE OF (SHARED) DREAMS (UPON DREAMS)</b></p> <p>12 Shared Dreaming and Extended Minds 177<br /> <i>Ken Marable</i></p> <p>13 Morally Responsible Dreaming: Your Mind Is the Scene of the Crime 187<br /> <i>Lance Belluomini</i></p> <p>14 Dream Time: <i>Inception</i> and the Philosophy of Time 199<br /> <i>Michael J. Sigrist</i></p> <p>15 Dreams and Possible Worlds: <i>Inception</i> and the Metaphysics of Modality 215<br /> <i>Charles Joshua Horn</i></p> <p>16 Do Our Dreams Occur While We Sleep? 231<br /> <i>Keith Dromm</i></p> <p><b>PART FIVE SHOULD I TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH?: RELIGIOUS THEMES IN INCEPTION</b></p> <p>17 Taking a Leap of Faith: A How-to Guide 249<br /> <i>David Kyle Johnson</i></p> <p>18 Limbo, Utopia, and the Paradox of Idyllic Hope 265<br /> <i>Clint Jones</i></p> <p>19 Unlocking the Vault of the Mind: <i>Inception</i> and Asian Philosophy 276<br /> <i>Scott Daniel Dunbar</i></p> <p><b>PART SIX WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?: FINDING THE HIDDEN LESSONS OF INCEPTION</b></p> <p>20 Mal-Placed Regret 295<br /> <i>Kimberly Blessing</i></p> <p>21 “You’re Just a Shade”: Knowing Others, and Yourself 310<br /> <i>Daniel Forbes</i></p> <p>22 Paradox, Dreams, and Strange Loops in <i>Inception</i> 326<br /> <i>Tyler Shores</i></p> <p>APPENDIX : A Safe Full of Secrets: Hidden Gems You May Have Missed 343</p> <p>CONTRIBUTORS: The Architects 363</p> <p>INDEX: The PASIV (Plenary Alphabetized Subject Index for This Volume) Device 371</p>

<p><b>DAVID KYLE JOHNSON</b> is assistant professor of philosophy at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and the editor of Heroes and Philosophy. <p><b>WILLIAM IRWIN</b> is a professor of philosophy at King's College. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as coeditor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy and has overseen recent titles, including House and Philosophy, Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy, and Mad Men and Philosophy. <p>To learn more about the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, visit <b>www.andphilosophy.com</b>

<p><b>Did the top fall?</b></br> <b>Was the whole movie just a dream?</b></br> <b>Is it possible for us to know what is truly real?</b></br> <b>When should we take our own leap of faith?</b></br> <b>Is paradox possible?</b> <p>In the complex world of Christopher Nolan's four-time Academy Award-winning metaphysical heist film, Inception, Dom Cobb has the ability to infiltrate people's dreams to steal and even alter their belief s and thoughts. Lurking behind these acts of extraction and inception are profound moral and philosophical issues. From Plato to Aristotle, from Descartes to Hume, Inception and Philosophy draws from the greatest philosophical minds to shed new light on the movie's key questions and captivating themes. Can we tell whether we are dreaming or awake? Is inception possible? Can sense be made of paradox? And the one that everyone still talks about: did the top fall-or does it even matter? You'll also deepen your understanding of the movie's multilayered plot and dream-crashing characters, examine different interpretations of the film, and discover whether or not philosophy can help determine which interpretation is the "right" one. You'll even find a list of hidden secrets in the movie that you missed!

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