Being in the World

An exploration of being human in a technological age

7,4

Giancarlo's Recommendation

Being in the world was one of the documentaries I produced. Director Tao Ruspoli studied philosophy at Berkeley and became close to many philosophy professors. Around 2008 he proposed to me to invest in a documentary around the philosophical theme of being in the world, of being human. I was intrigued by Heidegger’s idea that what defines us as humans is not that we think like Descartes said but by the way we develop our skills, by the way we “are in the world”. For someone like me who is constantly on his mind Heidegger theory was a breath of fresh air. Highly recommended.

Once upon a time there was a world full of meaning, focused by exemplary figures in the form of gods and heroes, saints and sinners. How did we lose them, or, might they still be around, in the form of modern day masters, in fields like sports, music, craft and cooking. Are these masters able to inspire us and bring back a sense of wonder, possibly even of the sacred? Being in the World raises the question of whether we have forgotten what it means to be truly human in today’s technological age and proceeds to answer this question by taking a journey around the world to meet a whole host of remarkable individuals, including Manuel Molina, the legendary poet and flamenco master; Leah Chase, affectionately known as the Queen of Creole Cuisine; and Hiroshi Sakaguchi, a master carpenter from Japan. By showing how these modern day masters approach life from within their chosen fields, Ruspoli’s film celebrates the ability of human beings to find meaning in the world through the mastery of physical, intellectual, and creative skills.

Synopsis

"Exquisite Work!"

The Examiner

"It made me look at my life experience differently."

"Wonderful, crisp... do yourself a favor and watch this amazing film"

"One of the More Thoughtful and Engaging Films on Philosophy"

"Takes us into the experience of what it is to be a craftsman and a master of a skill and reveals to us a more genuine reality about the way we engage with the world"

"Tackles the difficult job of bringing philosophy into everyday life, through contemporary professors of philosophy and ordinary people"

"It is the most concise and clearly laid out example of phenomenology that anyone could ask for"