What is the Function of Values in Film? Notes on the "Ethical Criticism of Art"

Abstract

In this paper we raise the question of whether moral values play any decisive role in cinematographic art (and, therefore, whether film can or not influence the behavior of the spectator). To this end, we will first introduce the controversy between two opposing positions: the “(moralist) consequentialism” and the “(aestheticist) autonomism”; secondly, we will propose an alternative to this approaches based on some notions of two contemporary philosophers of film: David Bordwell and Noël Carroll. Our overall objective will be to present the main lines of this debate – centered on the relationship between Ethics and Aesthetics – and point out the different positions involved.