An Evaluation of Stauffenberg's Actions in the Film Valkyrie (2008) from the Perspective of the Virtue of Altruism

Year 2023, , 187 - 224, 30.06.2023

Hamidullah Genç

https://doi.org/10.47425/marifetname.vi.1271394

Abstract

Cinema is an effective means of cultural representation as it reaches all corners of the world through its narrative styles and products. Cinema portrays external realities and mental experiences in artistic, documentary, and dramatic forms, depicting various subjects with different themes. Therefore, every film in the information- flow medium of cinema has a conceptual and philosophical background. The film Valkyrie (2008), set during a period of war, depicts a character's efforts to alleviate pain by prioritizing others and endangering himself and his loved ones in the process. These efforts demonstrate his motivation for altruism. Cinema has benefited us by identifying, capturing, and examining altruism in a simulative sense. This study aims to reveal the contrast of altruism with "self-centeredness" and "egoism," which are seen as virtues by different philosophical thinkers, by discussing the characters in the film, especially Stauffenberg’s stance on these virtues. The theoretical framework regarding these concepts has been created in the first subheading, and in the second subheading, the position of the character(s) compared to Stauffenberg has been determined within this framework. The first subheading entails a semantic analysis of altruism from the perspective of different thinkers, summarizing the difference between the concept and "egoism" and "self-centeredness." The second subheading includes a framework related to the fictional dimension of the film reviewing critical articles on "Valkyrie." Stauffenberg's struggle against Nazis during World War II has been examined considering apparent virtue. Using the qualitative content analysis method, the film has been analyzed, and Stauffenberg's altruistic stance is interpreted based on philosophical and moral data. The conclusion is that Stauffenberg acted in accordance with altruism, not with self-centeredness or egoism.

Keywords

Psychology of Religion, Positive Psychology, Morals, Virtue, Altruism, Valkyrie.

Stauffenberg’ün Valkyrie (2008) Filmindeki Eylemlerinin Diğerkâmlık Erdemi Perspektifinden Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Sinema, anlatısal tarzları ve ürünleri aracılığıyla dünyânın her köşesine ulaşmasıyla kültürel temsîliyetin etkili bir aracıdır. Sinema sanatsal, belgesel ve dramatik şekillerde dışsal gerçeklikleri ve zihinsel deneyimleri tasvîr ederek farklı temalarla çeşitli konuları işler. Dolayısıyla sinemanın bilgi akışı ortamındaki her filmi bir kavramsal ve felsefî arka plana sâhiptir. Savaş döneminde geçen Valkyrie (2008) filmi, kendisi ve sevdiklerini tehlikeye atıp başkalarını öncelikli tutarak, yaşanan acıyı hafifletmek için çaba sarf eden bir karakteri tasvîr etmektedir. Bu çabaları, onun diğerkâm motivasyonunu gösterir. Çalışmada sinema, simülatif anlamda diğerkâmlığı tanımlama, sâbitleme ve inceleme yoluyla fayda sağlamıştır. Bu çalışma, diğerkâmlığın farklı felsefî düşünürler tarafından erdem olarak görülen “benmerkezcilik” ve “egoizm” ile karşılaştırmasını, özellikle Stauffenberg'in bu erdemlerle olan tutumu üzerine filmdeki karakterleri tartışarak ortaya çıkarmayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu kavramlarla ilgili teorik çerçeve birinci bölümde oluşturulmuş ve ikinci bölümde karakterlerin (özellikle Stauffenberg) bu çerçevedeki durumları belirlenmiştir. Birinci bölüm, farklı düşünürlerin bakış açısından diğerkâmlığın bir semantik analizini
yaparak kavram ile “egoizm” ve “benmerkezcilik” arasındaki farkı özetlemektedir. İkinci bölüm, filmle ilgili
sinema kritiği yazılarını inceleyerek filmin kurgusal boyutuyla ilgili bir çerçeve sunmaktadır. Stauffenberg'in II. Dünyâ Savaşı'nda Nazilere karşı mücâdelesi, belirgin erdem göz önünde bulundurularak incelenmiştir. Nitel içerik analizi yöntemi kullanılarak film analiz edilmiş ve Stauffenberg'in diğerkâm duruşu felsefî ve ahlâkî verilerle yorumlanmıştır. Sonuç olarak, Stauffenberg benmerkezcilik veyâ egoizme değil, diğerkâmlığa uygun davranmıştır.

Keywords

Din Psikolojisi, Pozitif Psikoloji, Ahlak, Erdem, Diğerkâmlık, Valkyrie

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