What makes us most distinctively human, our reason or our emotions? How do we know when relationships with others are authentic, and when they’re just a matter of utility? Does civilization corrupt or improve us? Is honesty all it’s cracked up to be, or is lying a social inevitability? Which is more important to our happiness, love or work?
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When egotistical weatherman Phil Connors gets trapped in a time loop in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, he gets drunk, steals money, manipulates women, binges on breakfast food, plays God… and finally grows up. The story charts Phil’s development over the course of thousands of repeated February 2nds. Along the way, it raises questions about our own capacity for growth. How do we go about improving ourselves? How can we escape boredom? Achieve fulfillment? Wes and Erin discuss the 1993 film Groundhog Day.
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Thanks to Jeff Mitchel for allowing us to repurpose his poster for the cover art.
Thanks to Tyler Hislop for the audio editing on this episode.
Why did Groundhog Day not win Best Editing?
As you guys say it works in many different belief systems even, probably, atheistic humanism.
Another thing it reminded me off was some of the agonizing in Hegel’s Philosophy of Spirit.
‘Spirit’ is merely, primitively self aware just about.
Then it casts out in a very limited way not really finding the other – just returning to self. ..
Until you get to the master and slave dialectic where it seems to more fully find itself by truly recognizing an other.. Of course, being Hegel, there’s further to go..
Who was your guest host? Its not stated above. Maybe she was introduced somewhere in the pod, but she should get some credit.
Erin O’Luanaigh–she’s the co-host: https://subtextpodcast.com/about/