Thursday, May 25 • 5:20 pm – 5:40 pm (CEST)
The Dark Knight Trilogy by Christopher Nolan (2005, 2008, and 2012) remains popular on movie platforms. It explores the stereotypical battle between “good” and “evil” in the dystopian setting of “Gotham City.” Gotham, a city plagued by high crime rates, crumbling infrastructure, and powerful political and financial elites, resembles the concept of New York City or any other megalopolis. Hence, the film’s framing of the conflict between “good” and “evil” offers an intriguing glimpse into the (Liberal) capitalist ideological mindset.
The movie portrays the socio-political sphere, diagnoses its problems, and presents solutions within the framework of class privilege, which is typical of the contemporary mainstream Liberal mindset. Not only does the “savior” come from a privileged class, but even the methods employed reflect some of the commonplaces from the Liberal-capitalist ideological perspective: the affirmation of private property, contempt for what is perceived as “radical democracy,” the pursuit of “scientific politics,” and, consequently, the merging of the human and the machine.
Davor Džalto is a philosopher, artist, theorist, and theologian. He is currently Professor in Religion, Art and Democracy at the University College Stockholm. He is also President of The Institute for the Study of Culture and Christianity. He has published several books, most recently Beyond Capitalist Dystopia.