Philosophy

I would like to study the impact of entertainment and marketing on people. How would studying philosophy help me to that end? Are there particular types of philosophy courses that would help? Particular philosophers?

Comments

It wouldn't. There aren't. No.

I think you might get more from courses in psychology, sociology, or anthropology. While many philosophers are interested in factual matters, they don't usually tend to be such specific and applied ones.

I thinkAlex was a bit quick to dismiss the relevance of philosophy to theissue you're interested in. There is a long tradition of philosophicalinterest in entertainment/mass culture/mass art. For example, Plato wasconcerned in The Republic about the negative effects of tragedy and poetry (theentertainment of his time), and versions of his concerns can be foundin contemporary debates about the effects (and moral status) of variousforms of mass culture. See Alexander Nehamas' interesting essay "Platoand the Mass Media." Monist (April 1988), 214-234 fordiscussion of Plato's arguments and their relation to contemporaryconcerns. A good discussion of some of the ethical issues relating toentertainment (including moral concerns about its effects) can be foundin Noël Carroll's book A Philosophy of Mass Art.

You won't find useful answers to empirical questions about the actual effects of entertainment on people in the above works. I guess that's what Alex was getting at. On the other hand, they may help you understand contemporary debates about the alleged dangers of mass entertainment. For example, you can find explicit reference to Plato--and appeal to his arguments-- in some discussions of mass entertainment and popular culture. Philosophical investigation may also sensitize you to the range of possible effects that one might be concerned about, as well as to ethical issues about marketing and entertainment that might arise independent of effects.

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