Arts, Movies and Moral Reflections

Mićić, Srdjan

doi:10.69648/VJGJ1355

Abstract

This paper reflects on the intricate relationship between visual art, moving pictures, and moral reflection. It considers how art, especially cinema, functions not only as an aesthetic or cultural product, but as a space for ethical encounter and moral engagement. Through a multidisciplinary lens that bridges philosophy, ethics, and visual studies, the text examines the capacity of artistic practices to challenge, shape, and awaken moral awareness in both the creator and the observer. Drawing on the case of 12 Angry Men by Sidney Lumet, the paper explores how cinematic narrative, when rooted in empathy and ethical intent, can provoke deep introspection about justice, prejudice, and personal responsibility. Art is presented here not merely as an object of contemplation, but as a living dialogue between the individual and the collective, between aesthetic form and ethical substance. The study invites us to recognize the subtle yet potent ways in which visual culture contributes to the shaping of ethical consciousness in a media-saturated world.

Keywords

References

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[1] Macneill, P. (2014). Ethics and the arts. Springer Press.

[2] Resnik, D. B. (1998). The ethics of science: An introduction. Routledge.

[3] Ognenovski, T. (2019). Rhetorical dictionary of terms and definitions. Makedonika Literatura.

[4] Filipović, V. (1984). Philosophical dictionary. Matica Hrvatska Publishing House.

[5] Kant, I. (1966). Collected works. Mysl Publishing.

[6] Hooker, C. (2014). Ethics and the arts in the medical humanities. The Medical Journal of Australia, 201(7 Suppl), S23–S25.

[7] Tolstoy, L. N. (1897). What is art?

[8] Borev, Y. (2008). Aesthetics. Makedonska Reč.

[9] Donev, D. (2018). Introduction to ethics. Ss. Cyril and Methodius University.

[10] Donev, D. (2019). Ethics handbook. Ss. Cyril and Methodius University.

[11] Carroll, N. (2000). Art and ethical criticism. Ethics, 110(2), 350–385. University of Chicago Press.

[12] White, J. (1992). Morality and art. University College London.

[13] Carroll, N., & Choi, J. (Eds.). (2007). Philosophy of film and motion pictures: An anthology. Blackwell

[14] Publishing.

[15] Giovannelli, A. (2007). The ethical criticism of art: A new mapping of the territory. Springer https://doi.org/10.1007/s11406-007-9053-0

[16] Science + Business Media B.V.

[17] Becker, C. (Ed.). (1994). The subversive imagination: Artists, society, and social responsibility.

[18] Routledge.

[19] Galenson, D. W. (2018). Conceptual revolutions in 20th-century art. Polica.

[20] Hauser, A. (2005). Social history of art and literature (Z. Stojanović, Trans.). Zoran Stojanović

[21] Publishing.

[22] Miller, J. (2013). Film and ethics. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

[23] Nichevski, D. (2017). Ethical investigations. Slovo.