Help me with a Fight Club philosophy discussion?

I'd love to help you out but THE FIRST RULE OF FIGHT CLUB IS...well, you know.

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Help me with a Fight Club philosophy discussion?

So, tomorrow I have a movie watching and discussion of Fight Club with my philosophy club, and if any of you have any of the following:

- Good philosophical questions to ask about Fight Club,

- Good philosophies and philosophers to look at, and how they tie in to Fight Club (I hear there's...

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God, I love Fight Club. Such an excellent movie, rich and colorful, overflowing with a wealth of themes and philosophies. I know you're club meet has already taken place at this point, but I'd still like to chip in my two cents.

questions - I'd simply discuss the themes of the movie, how the characters respond to these themes. I also think it would helpful to identify a protagonist and an antagonist.

philosophers and philosophies - Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche are undoubtedly the fathers of modern existentialism. Despite fundamental doctrinal difference, they both agreed that the focus of philosophical thought should be focused on the individual and his/her thoughts, actions, emotions, etc. The individual alone is responsible for carving out a meaning and purpose for his/her life despite obstacles such as despair, angst, fear, anger, and alienation. I think these themes are very prevalent in the movie. Allow me to put it in layman's terms. I believe the main theme of Fight Club is the indvidual's loss of personal indentity and their inablity to fucntion independently in a perverse, materialistic society.

other activities - Perhaps discuss modern works of music that bear similar themes to Fight Club; for example, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, or Radiohead's OK Computer. Also, you could discuss works of literature that deal with themes of alienation and angst such as Catcher in The Rye, and try to draw parallels between them and Fight Club.

Hey, the best post-movie activity is...fight! LOL

But this is an excellent movie for your group. It's a rare gem: a US existentialist movie. And to my knowledge, one of only two ever made that focuses primarily on Nietzsche's philosophies (the other being "Repo Man", of course).

I'd start the discussions by talking about the levels of topics, going deeper as the the discussion progresses. On the surface, it's about over-testosteroned and under-stimulated men trying to enjoy life. Next level: we're watching a character study about someone seriously mentally ill. Going down another level, we can extrapolate about how Ed Norton's character (Jack? he's never really named), is representative of a terrible sickness of our society.

Note how mental illness, physical illness, and physical pain are huge themes throughout.

But I like to bring it all together at yet still deeper levels by looking at the movie through the lens of Nietzsche. Think about that moment (which is romanticized in the film) when the fighter is completely beaten, unable to even breath without extreme pain. At that moment, what is there left to live for? Nietzsche says there's still one thing: that zest for life. And by fighting to near-death is one way to experience that zest clear and free from any outside pleasurable influence. This is Nietzsche's answer to Camus' question, "Should I kill myself?"

And that's just the beginning. Wish I could join your club--I'd even be willing to be in the first fight! ;)