Hindustan Times (Gurugram)

UK university offers course based on Game of Thrones

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A university in the UK is offering a new course next month on philosophy based on the popular Game of Thrones TV series.

John Donaldson, from the University of Glasgow, will introduce key philosophi­cal principles by using themes from the show.

In Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Politics, Power and War, he will explore some ideas embedded in the show’s tales of struggle and conquest.

These include the nature of political authority and legitimacy, war theory and gametheory analyses of conflict.

Donaldson, who previously ran a course examining the virtues of Homer Simpson, said he hoped it would be popular with students.

“We will use important scenes from the show to introduce philosophy. The first thing we will look at is game theory,” he was quoted as saying by Glasgow Live.

“Game theory was huge during the Cold War in the 1960s because Russia and the US used it in regards to their nuclear weapons.”

By game theory, he refers to an approach used by Russia and the US during the Cold War, who believed that any move, offensive or defensive, would be a mistake.

“The other two areas we will look at are political legitimacy and war theory,” he said.

Donaldson also ran an introducto­ry course to philosophy based on Star Wars.

 ?? FILE PICTURE ?? A scene from popular TV series Game of Thrones.
FILE PICTURE A scene from popular TV series Game of Thrones.

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