Cinéma, philosophie de l’autorité, neurosciences : Paradis pour tous

Camille Roelens (1)

1 ECP - Education, Cultures, Politiques

The purpose of this text is to propose an analysis of the movie Paradis pour tous, directed by A. Jessua in 1982, from a philosophical point of view, through a hermeneutic approach, in the frame of a research work in philosophy of education related to the notions of authority and kindness. In this article, we develop the hypothesis according to which the vision of benevolent authority and autonomy proposed in this movie is the opposite of what could legitimately be a contemporary form of authority, supporting the fact of becoming an individual in a hyper modern world. First, we focus on the malaise of the contemporary individual, starting point of the movie’s scenario through the suicide attempt of the main character Alain Durieux (part 1). Then, by studying the character of the Doctor Valois, therapist of Alain Durieux, we propose a model of benevolent domination, releasing the Man from its anxiety at the cost of their renouncement to autonomy and subjectivity (part 3). Finally and conversely, a few characteristics of what could be a contemporary and benevolent authority, respectful of equality and liberty of individuals and helpful for becoming fully autonomous persons, are evidenced (part 3). We do not aim for completeness, and we do not pretend to propose an esthetical nor a historical study of the considered movie. We rather try to understand how, through a cultural intercessor as important as the cinema, some representations of concepts related to philosophy of education can be built, which philosophers must not ignore.

Mots clés: authority; kindness; neuroscience; cinema; depiction; culture; autonomie; hyper-modernity

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Camille Roelens. Cinéma, philosophie de l’autorité, neurosciences : Paradis pour tous. Ekphrasis. Images, Cinema, Theory, Media, 2018, 20 (2), pp.195-211. ⟨10.24193/ekphrasis.20.12⟩. ⟨halshs-03133743⟩