“THIS FILM IS GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL! So engaging, hopeful and against-the-grain that it becomes a must-see cinematic tonic for these confusing times.”
– Scott Macaulay, Filmmaker Magazine

In Examined Life, filmmaker Astra Taylor (Zizek!) liberates philosophy from the halls of academia through entertaining and thought-provoking excursions with some of today’s most famous and influential thinkers. Peter Singer’s thoughts on the ethics of consumption are amplified against the backdrop of Fifth Avenue’s posh boutiques. Slavoj Zizek challenges current beliefs about the environment while sifting through a garbage dump. Michael Hardt considers the nature of revolution while surrounded by symbols of wealth and leisure. Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor stroll through San Francisco’s Mission District questioning our culture’s fixation on individualism. And while driving through Manhattan, Cornel West—called “a genius” and “an oracle” by President Obama—compares philosophy to jazz and blues, reminding us how intense and invigorating a life of the mind can be.

Offering privileged moments with great thinkers from fields ranging from ethics to cultural theory, Examined Life reveals philosophy’s power to transform the way we see the world around us and imagine our place in it.

Also available on DVD as part of the 6-film GREAT MINDS box set.

- 16:9 anamorphic transfer, enhanced for widescreen TVs
- Two extra philosopher walks with Colin McGinn and Simon Critchley
- Q&As with Cornel West, Avital Ronell and Kwame Anthony Appiah, with director Astra Taylor
- Theatrical trailers
- English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
- Philosopher bios and selected bibliographies