Christopher Innes, Ph.D.

Drawing by Ben Atkin — Dr. Innes’ charcoal portrait by a student

Adjunct Professor

Office: Education Building Room 636D

Areas of Interest:

I am interested in Analytical Marxism with emphasis on the similarities between Marxian thought and Liberalism, George Orwell’s notion of socialism, and the use of popular culture to fit into the study of philosophy. I like to write essays in popular culture and philosophy. My latest publication is an essay in the Open Court publication: Tom Petty and Philosophy. This is where I analyze the problems of accommodating aesthetic boundaries as seen in the Apollonian and Dionysian conflict found in Tom Petty’s music.

Biography:

I got my Ph.D. from Goldsmiths College, England. This is the coolest college in the University of London. This is where Princess Beatrice of York, Mary Quant, Lucien Freud, Damien Hirst and many others got their degrees. I have been teaching philosophy at Boise State University for nearly twenty years. I am originally from England. The move to the U.S. was a creative one. Creativity is often part of the philosophical process and is needed for a teacher in philosophy to be progressive.

I got my undergraduate degree at Hull University gaining a B.A. in Philosophy with honors, later to gain an M.A. in Social and Political Theory at Kent at Canterbury University. The fundamentals are still perplexing, but this does not stop me from writing and applying my thoughts in the classroom. As you can see from my photo, I inspire students to draw pictures of me as I think and ponder the problems of philosophy in the classroom.

Courses Taught:

I like to teach standard courses as well as my own designed courses with popular culture being used to illustrate philosophical problems. My current courses are: PHIL 102: Intro to Philosophy-Great Thinkers; PHIL 294/494 Summer Workshops in various topics to inclue: Pixar and Philosophy; The Philosophy of Seinfeld; Literature and Philosophy; The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy; and so on. These courses may be taught in the classroom and/or online.

Outreach Teaching

I also like to teach the great subject of philosophy in area secondary schools: Fairmont Junior High School – Ethics in Literature, Boise High School – Bioethics, North Junior High School – Political Theory in History (American).

Publications

The Blackwell Pop Culture and Philosophy® series, William Irwin, ed. This series aims to (show) that philosophy is relevant to life–and not just for answering big questions like “To be or not to be?” but for answering the little questions: “To watch or not to watch South Park?” …(or Westworld, or The Big Bang Theory, etc.).

Blade Runner 2049 and Philosophy

Westworld and Philosophy: Mind Equals Blown Justice or Pleasure?

Tom Petty and Philosophy: We Need To Know

The Philosophical Limits, 5th ed., 2019.

Abstract: Dr. Robert Ford confides to Dolores that his father would not agree with his creation of robots for the enjoyment of humans. “My father told me to be satisfied with my lot in life. That the world owed me nothing. And so, I make my own world” (“Contrapasso”). This tells us at once that Dr. Ford’s father had a Platonic notion of justice. https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/philosophy_facpubs/28/