Philosophy of Cinema

Abstract

This article examines the historical and conceptual relationship between philosophy and cinema, highlighting how different philosophical traditions—from phenomenology and hermeneutics to structuralism, cognitivism and post-structuralism—have approached the cinematic phenomenon. Methodologically, the text is developed as a philosophical-analytical essay grounded in the critical review of theoretical currents and key concepts related to art, perception, narration and the spectator’s aesthetic experience. The main objective is to explain why cinema constitutes a legitimate field of philosophical inquiry, whether as an object of analysis, as a producer of ideas, or as a “thought experiment” capable of generating questions about reality, appearance, consciousness and human knowledge. The article also aims to show the limitations of previous approaches (semiotics, psychoanalysis, narratology) and argues for the need to rethink the philosophy of cinema by acknowledging its capacity to generate original modes of thought. The scope of the work lies in revealing the contemporary philosophical value of cinema, emphasizing its role as a medium that challenges the boundaries between appearance and reality, as a space of meaning and emotion construction, and as a tool to reconsider ontological, epistemological and aesthetic categories. The text concludes that cinema not only illustrates philosophical ideas but also produces new forms of thinking that must be integrated into philosophical tradition.