Anya Davis?
Hi, I'm-- Sorry, I'm Cole Keating,
the philosophy department.
- Oh, hi. - I was on the hiring committee.
- Right. - Can I?
Yes, yes, yes. Sure, sure.
Your dissertation on the Nietzschean will
of individualism was fascinating.
- Thank you. - So, I really admire you.
You um-- You cover Nietzsche?
No, no, I focus on the practices and aesthetics
of the 18th century, so, Diderot, Voltaire.
- Right. Enlightenment. - Yes.
Um, although I teach a survey course here and there.
We're so lucky to get you.
Thanks.
Uh, so, will I see you at the fire tonight?
Sorry, will you see me at the fire tonight?
Oh, do you not--
No.
Um, so back in 1886, when Eastling was all men,
at the end of a term,
the students all decided to burn their books.
It only happened once,
but it sort of became a tradition.
Oh, yeah, like a ritual of sorts, right?
Yeah, it's tonight. So see you there?
Yeah, sure.
Hi.
- You're new. - Yes.
I'm a new hire in the philosophy department.
Anya-- Dr. Davis.
Do you believe in all that, burning of books?
They say it's this Eastling tradition,
the burning of literature and the like.
It's actually a serious practice with meaning.
I hear it's treated as a joke...
people just throwing their shit into the fire...
leaving the world outside behind.
When really, what it actually means...
it's eliminating ideology that may threaten any kind of power.
Burning a person...
burning a mind.
Yeah, I understand that.
So, basically, all these lunatic co-eds
have taken this practice and turned it
into a kind of celebration.
A reason to get drunk.
I don't think that's what education should be about.
All right, Anya, I think we're ready for you.
Anya, can I get you anything?
No, thank you.
This is Joanna Higgins.
She's investigating the death of Wilder Hewitt.
We've spoken to all of the students from your seminar.
Wow. All of them?
Except Mara Headley. We can't get in touch with her.
- Have you heard from her? - No.
And Selena?
Selena Ferreira, my student?
We've spoken with her.
- So, she's okay? - Yes.
Okay.
We've learned you did a recording of the class?
Reed Harris shared it with us.
Yes, uh, per my instructions,
I was required to record all remote classes.
What's strange is from this specific seminar,
the recording stops.
Is there a reason you stopped it?
That I stopped the recording?
It stops with Reed Harris saying, and I quote,
"The Upashans have a theory about this."
He goes on to argue with Molly Stanovitz.
It gets a little out of hand. You call five minutes.
Yes, yeah, I had-- I had called a break in the class.
Yes, and at that point, someone stopped the recording
and didn't restart it.
We assumed that person was you.
Students, faculty,
and staff of Eastling, greetings.
This message is to inform you that all classes
will remain being conducted online and only online.
This is necessary as we continue to deal with the outbreak.
As your Dean, I ask you to please
remain safe and stay tuned for further updates.
Thank you.
Hi, Dr. Davis.
Oh, hi, Mara. Hi.
I can't hear you.
- Hello? Hello, hello, hello? - Hi, hi.
I can hear you.
- How are you? - Um, I'm okay.
I mean, all my classes have been on here,
so I'm kind of--
- Hi, Reed. - Hi.
Hey.
Did you just wake up?
Yeah, so?
Oh, no. Sorry--
- I'll be right back. - Where's Wilder?
He's not with you?
No, we, um...
uh, we had a fight last night, so I came back to my dorm.
Oh.
Cool.
This is Wilder. Leave a message after the beep.
Hey.
You're not part of this class unless somehow
I've missed you out of the six people that are in it.
-Are you, like, here to troll? - Dr. Davis is my mom.
What's that in your background?
That's music.
I knew that, but I mean, like, what kind?
- Hanna? - Hi.
How did you even get in here?
Your calendar synced to my phone.
And all your passwords are saved there, too, by the way.
Uh, you always use the same one.
Okay, so--
So where is everyone?
Aren't you two in the same house?
No, Hannah's actually with her dad this week.
So what are you listening to exactly?
Polish jazz.
Yeah, I knew that.
Yeah, during the communist takeover,
jazz was totally repressed.
And when Stalin died, a new wave began.
Krzysztof Komeda? Like--
Wow.
Polish jazz is the bomb.
My dad plays in a band that kind of emulates the movement.
It's not as good, but--
Hannah, it's really not time for a concert.
Well, it's not a concert.
It's just a conversation, but fine.
I'll leave.
Reach out to the others,
and then we can start officially, officially.
Cool.
Hey!
- Hello! - Hi!
It's my favorite Molly!
I don't want to see that. Put that away.
Also, how many Mollys do you even know?
A lot. Like, 12.
Yeah, I don't feel special.
- Kasper! Nice place, dude. - Oh, thank you.
Yeah, they decided to give all the funding
to foreign student housing,
but I'm chill, because I'm off campus.
Okay, the dorms aren't that bad.
But anyway, I mean, how are you guys?
I don't know. Just vibing.
I mean, this whole thing is so fucking weird.
So what are the signs of this thing?
The-- the sweat?
Feels weird to say. Like, the bubonic plague?
Well, actually, "sweat" is much easier to say,
because it's one syllable, "bubonic" is three.
Oh, come on, Molly. You know what I mean.
Actually, I don't, because I've never experienced
the bubonic plague.
Why don't you tell us about it, Kasper?
Come on, you're-- you're from Germany, right?
So, in your homeland, isn't that the origin
of all these hateful and evil things in the world?
I think that's what Molly is getting at.
What, like, the plague?
Mm, no, the whole world blames Germany for,
like, every problem. I swear to God.
Where is Dr. Davis?
Oh, God.
She is looking so hot today.
Okay, um, she went to get coffee.
Oh, coffee's super important, by the way.
Okay, wait, you guys, there's this rumor
that it, like, started from this leak
in a botched experiment in the lab at Decker Hall.
Yeah, I heard that, too.
Now, I-- I'm not so sure that's a rumor, Molly.
I think that actually happened.
Really?
I mean, it did start somewhere, right?
A-- and if someone did do it on purpose,
like, uh-- like it was a deranged science major
or-- or faculty, what would the purpose be?
Why?
I mean, I happen to think that it was just
an honest mistake, you know?
I-- I-- it doesn't exactly lead to world domination.
We are all crazy.
People do crazy shit sometimes.
You don't even know.
Oh, my God, put your computer down.
It's, like, super disorienting.
- Yeah, but, guys... - Sorry.
...someone at Jasper's party had it,
which really disturbs me because I was there,
and so was Wilder.
Oh, my God, no way. Who?
Uh, Jessica Williams, the art history major.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know her.
But, like, we're fine.
Only, like, three people have it anyway.
- No, five. - No, I heard eight.
Okay, this is ridiculous.
Like, the entire student body is, like, what?
800 students?
So why do we all have to quarantine
and not just those, like, six or eight people?
Well, you know, they don't know how it spreads, right?
If people have touched, uh--
Yeah, I've touched a lot of people in the last week, so...
Well, all of that is under investigation, Reed.
Wait, wait, wait, the Sweat or how many people I've touched?
No, but seriously, Mara, come on.
This is a question of the individual
versus the greatest good, right?
So, if you want to selfishly go out
and-- and do whatever,
go to a party with your boyfriend,
you could catch it from some Hawaiian student,
and then you go give it to your barista,
and they go into the city, and they give it to whomever,
and then we're all fucked, the whole planet.
But isn't that where you'd get herd immunity?
Herd immunity?
I-- I'm sorry, are you an anti-vaxxer?
No, okay, I'm just saying
that sometimes you have to make these decisions.
Like, in nature, they accept
that the weakest don't always survive.
You-- so, you're talking about Darwinism?
I'm sorry, but we're at a tiny liberal arts school.
What is your point?
Okay, I'm just playing devil's advocate.
Like, if we were to go out, people would survive.
Like, humanity would survive.
I heard that when you get it...
it drips into your sinus system, and it can make you go blind.
Your eyes get all milky
- like some old dog. - What?
Yeah, dude.
- Think about it, Mara. - Stop it.
Your beautiful blue eyes will get all foamy
-like a cappuccino.
No, you're just making that up.
It's not funny.
It also fucks with your, uh,
I don't know if I can say this in front of--
...anyways, so, thank you.
All right, guys, all right.
Who are we still missing?
Um, Parker, Selena.
All right, so what do you think? Two more minutes?
And Wilder.
Yeah, he'll be here soon.
Molly, Molly, bo-bally, banana, tana, poppoly, me, my, mo Molly.
- Where's Hillary? - She went home.
- Fuck. To the city? - Yeah.
She didn't want to be holed up here any longer
than she had to be.
I mean, you know, she's like a real hypochondriac,
plus her dad's not really doing well.
- Sorry to hear that. - Yeah, he's really old.
Well, send her my love.
Um, who-- who is Hillary?
Hillary is Molly's girlfriend.
She was the TA in my early Greek seminar.
I tried to fuck her, but she's gay.
Well, actually, she's bi.
She just wasn't into you, so...
- She told me that... - That's just not true.
...multiple times.
I'm [indistinct] you know, actually. [indistinct].
Hello!
Hey, Selena.
I'm sorry I'm late, Dr. Davis.
I had to go to the clinic this morning.
I, um, I thought I had the Sweat.
Oh, my God, really?
- Yeah. - I'm so sorry I'm late.
I went for a run.
- What's up? - How was that for you?
Well, no one's out, and my endorphins are flowing,
so I feel really good.
Last night, I threw my own personal rave.
Oh, I did the same thing, too.
I pretended I was in a club in Berlin
- with all the lights. - Exactly.
- But I wasn't in Berlin. - Okay, Parker, thank you.
Can you-- can you take a seat and join us?
Hey. Sorry.
Recording.
Okay, let's start.
Sorry, can I just say one thing?
I-- It's relevant, I promise.
No.
I sold Lucinda and the Argonauts
to Fox Pictures.
I'm so excited. I can't believe it.
- That's amazing. - It is so popular in Germany.
What's that?
A-- a young adult novel.
- Congratulations, Selena. - Okay.
Thank you.
But we need Lucinda and the Argonauts?
Come on, Molly.
I just don't really know
what this has to do with philosophy.
Oh, but it has, like, everything to do
- with philosophy. - Okay.
Anyway, Lucinda is faced
with so many fight-or-flight situations.
You know, monsters, saboteurs,
the natural elements, all working against her.
There is a big fight on the sea,
so you don't know if she's gonna make it or not.
And then, over the course of 300 or so odd pages,
you realize that she's superhuman.
- Oh, I... - Nice, Molly.
...did not mean to send that to everybody.
Okay, wait. You kind of may have a point.
it feels medieval.
Like, maybe we're going back to the biblical plagues
of the Greeks and Romans.
You know, Nietzsche was a classicist.
Really?
Yeah, he was. Yeah, actually. Parker, thank you.
And Selena, thank you.
I, um, I--
I wanted to start today's seminar by taking a look
at Nietzsche's roots to classicism,
which, of course, is covered in this week's reading.
So, if we go back to Greek mythology,
what we have here is-- is a kind of storytelling,
a way of transcribing the human experience
in a way that I think Nietzsche has felt
that we have strayed from
or, um, lost contact with.
So, what I'm talking about...
is a storytelling.
Mythology is a storytelling
that sort of encompasses the carnal,
the animal, the spiritual,
the intellectual, even madness,
all of these elements of the human experience
come together.
And then also, um, this-- this idea of...
destiny and fate being, um,
being based on one's type or one's character.
As Plato says, uh,
character is destiny.
But so what you have
with the rational philosophers
who have completely strayed from this type of...
of storytelling, what we have with them
is more of a-- a-- a-- a doctrinization
and a-- a rationalization,
a separation
of all of these elements, uh...
in a way that I think Nietzsche finds...
much less complex, you know?
Uh, this--
this experience of living, you know,
the Leibniz philosophy, Kasper.
Yeah, philosophy of life.
Kierkegaard was also implicated in this.
- Schopenhauer, too, actually. - Right.
So now look, I mean...
Nietzsche's a philosopher who is-- He's-- he's--
he's very difficult to explore
in a session like this.
I mean, we could spend forever really--
Sorry, can we just go back to this idea
of fate and destiny being based on your type
- or your character? - Yeah, yeah.
Okay, so character is destiny,
as Plato says,
but what about circumstance
and chance shaping your destiny?
I mean, I was raised by two women, two moms, okay?
And, you know, they lived in, like,
a completely separate reality.
They were cool and progressive, you know, sure,
but they are incredibly brilliant, both of them,
and they essentially forced me to come here.
I mean, I didn't even really know
if I wanted to pursue college, higher education in general,
but they wanted a higher existence for me,
- so now I'm here. - Because that's what you wanted.
Well, no, even if I want this, I want that,
I'm still living their trajectory for me
by getting a degree.
Yes, Molly.
Before we get into this, I-- I-- I think it's crucial
that in-- in order to understand
these somewhat controversial ideas here
that we really need to, um,
we really need to know about the 19th century
in terms of the historical,
political, philosophical climate
in which Nietzsche emerged.
So, look, the 19th century can-- can--
can really be separated into two very distinct parts.
We have before 1848, 1850, and after.
Can anyone speak to me
about what is happening in Europe
at this time?
Well, the revolutions of 1848...
Sorry, it's just, like...
...are some of the largest--
...kind of sounds like
we're just kind of reading from an encyclopedia.
Sorry?
No, it's just not very challenging.
I mean, this seminar, right,
this whole class is supposed to be a challenging discussion,
supposed to move things forward, I just...
I'm not really challenged.
We just started the discussion, like, a few minutes ago, um--
I know, but challenge me, or I'll challenge you.
So, uh...
so what we see happening here
in the middle of the 19th century is this,
like, major reconstruction
or reconstitution of liberal values
with the restitution
of the Bourbon monarchy in France
and with the apotheosis of Bismarck in Germany.
So, these two events, in a way,
sort of denied all of this progress
that the revolutions in-- in France
and in America had made in the previous century.
Um, up to this point,
history and politics
and art and philosophy
were all sort of converging
and building unilaterally,
cohesively, on top of one another
towards this notion of progress.
Um, but now, all of a sudden,
there's this sort of terrifying reversal.
And-- and you know, this-- this of course,
really, um,
throws things on their head.
So, a large sense of-- of nihilism looms.
Um, and what we have now with Nietzsche
and his contemporaries
are, um-- Or let's look at these artists.
So, the-- the--
the celebrated artists of the time
are Van Gogh, Monet, Manet.
Uh, what you're looking at here
is the emergence of an avant-garde
for the first time, you know?
Uh, you have a, uh, an avant-garde class,
a rejection of institutions, of religions, of--
The, uh, the-- the rejects, the Salon des Refusés.
Right. That's right.
These people become the stars of the moment.
Nietzsche...
is re-evaluating
our whole philosophical tradition, in a sense.
There is no longer any sort of pan-universal set of truths
for which we could all sort of ascribe meaning.
Um, it's the individual
that must search for the salvation.
So, who and what does he introduce
to express this ultimate aspiration?
- Anyone? - He introduces the Ubermensch.
Okay, Mara, okay. So, let's unpack that.
Well, through Ubermensch,
Nietzsche introduces
the idea of a superior man,
who can rise above conventional Christian morality
to create and impose his own set of values.
Well, that's just bullshit
because what you're describing is patriarchy.
Not patriarchy. Hierarchy.
And hierarchy should, and does, exist.
I mean, even in this class, right?
Yeah, there's a hierarchy created by who will progress
and excel in this environment.
You know, who will get an A at the end of the semester.
Exactly, Mara.
And I feel like it's, uh,
the most important part of that is to consider
what happens if society or this class
or structure accepts the Ubermensch, right?
The Ubermensch may harm others, may overtake others.
Therefore, one adheres to suffering,
accepting the earth, but aiming to be above it,
to be above mankind.
You're really cute. Are you dating?
Isn't that one of the theories Hitler used
to define the Holocaust?
Creating and perfecting the master race, yeah.
Uh, I-- I do want to state, though,
before we kind of delve into that,
that-- that-- that--
that it was through misinterpretation, of course,
that Hitler and others were able to exploit Nietzschean--
The Lebensborn program.
- The what? - His Das Lebensborn-Programm.
The Lebensborn program was created by Hitler to, um,
in a sense, spring to life the master race, right?
So basically, he created breeding facilities
where Aryan women were recruited,
uh, to be impregnated
by genetically pure SS officers.
42,000.
There were 42,000 babies
produced during that time.
Yeah, my grandfather was one of them.
He-- he was born from the program.
Really? That is fascinating.
So this-- this Sweat, right, this--
this illness that's going around campus,
could just be, like, some kind of mindset.
Like some kind of
psychological or sociological experiment.
I mean, not even real.
Yeah, I mean, I have thought this all along,
you know?
So, one person is so convinced that they have it,
then it spreads to another person
who also feigns illness,
and eventually, we all have it, right?
Or we think we do, and then we succumb
to some kind of, like, widespread hysteria.
Well, okay, Selena, I guess if--
if we're going to switch gears here,
if we were to view this moment
through a Nietzschean lens, we might...
see it as mass hysteria or--
or conformity of sorts of the weaker man,
- the weaker spirit. - Yes, yes.
But I still feel like that's missing something.
I mean, it's-- it is a theory about power and control,
the masses, the conformity of the herd, yes.
But you're missing that if we become above man,
if we become the Uberman, then we can't get sick.
I mean, not in that way.
I thought suffering was elevated in the Ubermensch.
Uh, uh, it is, it is.
So, I'm not sure I'm-- I-- I'm not sure I'm following
or agreeing with your point, Wilder.
Can we go back for a second?
Nietzsche denounced God, right? Like, threw him out?
Well, you know, this idea of throwing off religion
is kind of a sort of part of the moral nihilism
of Nietzschean philosophy.
So, really, if you're a follower of anything of--
of an institution, of a religion, of whatever,
you're hoarding your individualism.
Okay, but he also claimed there was a crisis of nihilism.
He didn't throw God away.
He admitted that the death of God
would profoundly disrupt society.
Remember, religion at this time was the construct
through which individuals organized
their sense of the world.
Therefore, the loss of God was a loss of coherence,
- a loss of objective truth. - Yeah. Yes.
God, I forgot how smart you are, Parker.
Um, who here believes in God?
Reed, we're not going to do a poll
on people's religious beliefs.
I feel like it's valuable to the discussion.
Uh, Wilder,
- what about you, man? - What?
- Do you believe in God? - No.
So you're an agnostic?
- I'm an atheist. - Whatever, same difference.
Actually, they're not similar at all.
You don't believe in God. We got it.
Mara, what about you? Do you believe in God?
I-- I have a feeling that might affect your coupling.
Are we really doing this?
Why are you so interested in our relationship?
Good question.
Um...
Mara does not believe in God.
...okay, look--
- I'm right here. - Okay, all right, cool.
While I do think that personal beliefs
can be relevant to our discussions,
I'm-- I'm-- I'm really not sure
why it's coming up right here, Reed.
But Anya, you yourself always talk about
how you're from Pittsburgh,
how that's shaped your personal views,
how you move through the world.
I mean, shouldn't we be doing the same thing?
How did we get to Pittsburgh?
Yeah, I didn't know that.
When did she mention being from Pittsburgh?
Where's Pittsburgh?
Look, I-- it's possible that I have mentioned things
in previous classes.
The point is is that no one has to adhere
to any of these theories, obviously, in order to study--
Wait, okay, so I was raised Catholic, right?
I, like, went to a Catholic high school.
Okay, can we--
No, wait, Dr. Davis, I--
I promise I'm gonna make my point really quick,
- and it's relevant. - All right.
Like, all that we were talking about earlier, right?
How you're bringing influences to your being,
or you wanting to be like them, or whatever.
But, see, as I grew up,
I made the decision not to be Catholic anymore.
Can you-- Selena,
can you please stop co-opting the class,
just to interrupt Dr. Davis
and say something completely irrelevant?
What Selena is saying is not completely unrelated.
Let's take a second here.
I-- it is clear that people pray to a higher spiritual being,
or a god, or institution,
or the like, in dark times
because they want something to believe in.
I mean, much like we're doing in this class right now.
Yeah, I mean, God has stood the test of time
because much of society
- is entirely hopeless. - Right.
And our judgment
of others is fickle.
I mean, actually, Molly, when you think about it,
there is no right and wrong when it comes to beliefs.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
So you're saying Hitler, and like, all of his beliefs,
attempting to exterminate the entire Jewish population
was correct?
No, that's not what I'm saying at all.
Or the way the Russians decided to hide
what actually happened at Chernobyl
in order to glorify their country
and maintain their politics, their beliefs.
That's all a-okay?
It's not an issue of morality, which is the trap
that this conversation keeps falling into.
So, if it's not an issue of morality...
what is the metric that defines this?
Well, I'm not-- I'm not moralizing though.
not morality,
- it's vitality. - That's right.
The strength of character is all.
- That's right. - Yeah.
It's an issue of vitality.
And by the way, Molly, you know,
those are two more obvious examples, right?
You know, kind of generic.
You can be a little more specific is all I'm saying.
I'm sorry my digression offended so many people.
Wow, Molly, I am so impressed
with you apologizing for your behavior.
I am just pointing out to you, Wilder,
that what you are saying,
despite your expertise on all subjects all the time,
is not always correct.
Yeah, but I never said I was.
Well, then it's an incredibly calculated performance.
Oh, no one's gonna back me up.
Okay, cool. That's awesome. Great.
At my bar mitzvah, my pants split
during the chair dance.
Oh.
Never set foot in a synagogue again.
So, you gave up the entirety of Judaism
because your pants split?
Well that and the whole singing in Hebrew part.
That's pretty tough.
Don't worry about it, dude.
I went to so many bar mitzvahs when I was a kid.
I technically lost my virginity at one.
I got a BJ from this girl with braces.
Oh, my God. Reed, shut up. Shut-- Just stop talking.
Nobody wants to hear about your BJ.
I mean, we were having--
All of you, have you been present recently?
Because we were having a very intense conversation
about the Holocaust,
and all you can think about
-is getting head? - Could-- could we just try--
That's so insensitive and disgusting!
Okay, Molly.
What, oh, oh, I'm being the crazy one right now?
No, I just--
I'm gonna ask us all to just return
to a more respectful way of talking to each other.
Well, it's not my fault that Reed loves to just listen
to the sound of his own voice.
What's wrong with listening to the sound of my own voice?
Your voice tells you a lot about your being.
The Upanishads actually came up with a lot of their philosophies
based on questions about the origins of the voice.
Stop and listen to Dr. Davis
and stop being so disrespectful.
I'd like to end this now.
Shut up! Oh, my God.
I can't even handle this anymore, bye!
Reed?
Reed, can I, uh, can I tell you something?
- I'd be honored. - Wilder.
You're an idiotic representation of your generation.
A pig.
You're a pig grappling through the vines of intelligentsia,
plotting against our prolonged thought
trying to move things forward,
and then chewing our ideas with your slime.
- You're just-- - Uh, okay.
Let's take ten.
Dr. Davis, we are missing significant information
pertaining to what actually happened
during the rest of the class and the lead-up to the jump.
We've been in contact with everyone involved.
We have testimonies
from your students and your daughter.
You've been in contact with my daughter?
We're just asking questions.
We've had to question everyone involved.
So that's why he's here?
Professor Keating's the head of the Standards Committee.
Uh-huh.
Right.
So then he told you we were fucking?
No, I hadn't.
And that I had called him during the break in the class?
- So it's my fault now? - Fault? No.
I mean, I just-- I assumed that's why you were here.
Is this true?
Yes, she called me that day.
That's not what I'm asking you.
I'm asking you if you were in a relationship
with her.
I don't see why that matters.
Because you're the head
of the Standards Committee, Cole.
What exactly did she tell you, Mr. Keating,
on that phone call?
- It's good to see you. - Like, it's been that long?
It's been like five days.
Well, uh, yeah, but I mean,
feels like longer.
A lot has happened.
Like before the world set on fire.
- Can you come over tonight? - Yeah.
Uh, I got to finish this outline for this grant application.
My Diderot research.
Um, are you okay?
Yeah, it's just my seminar just got so crazy.
Which one was that?
Just like my only one, the one with Wilder Hewitt.
Oh, what's up with him?
I thought you liked him.
I do like him, it's just...
he's just very volatile today.
So, uh, students, like,
so a lot of his kind, you know,
any of his type...
they can totally have
their heads stuck up their own asses.
You know what I mean?
They think they know everything about everything,
and you can't teach them.
But you can influence them.
And, you know, it's--
Often it's the most difficult ones that teach us the most.
She said the class was hard and that she felt overwhelmed.
Why didn't you tell us this?
I-- It didn't seem like it was important.
You didn't think it was important?
It was a conversation with an academic colleague.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, Cole, I think you should go.
Is there anything else that you'd like to tell us?
It seemed like she was drawn to him.
Drawn to him in what way?
In the way that a teacher is drawn to a bright student.
What did you talk about with Wilder?
Many things.
We-- we spoke often.
It seemed very much part of his process.
It's-- it's normal, it's standard
that I speak with my students.
What-- what is it that you think I know?
Let's not jump to any conclusions.
I'm not jumping to conclusions.
I'm just-- I'm simply asking questions.
I teach philosophy. It's the nature of what I do.
December 2nd, 2009. Does that date ring a bell?
No.
There was a custody hearing.
Your daughter was five years old, correct?
Yes.
During the hearing, your ex-husband, Phil Archer,
claimed that you were unable to leave the house
for six weeks.
Yes, I was severely depressed during my divorce.
That you were living in a state of alarming disarray,
and according to your daughter's testimony
during the proceedings,
"I saw Mommy eating.
Eating roots and plants from the garden.
She said she wanted to go back to the earth,
to the way things were supposed to be."
What does this have to do with anything?
Uh, well, um...
what strikes me about that statement
from your daughter, Anya,
is that it sounds very similar
to some of the things that Wilder was talking about
just before he jumped.
Relevant to the Nietzschean theories
you were discussing in that class?
Yeah, I just-- I'm-- I'm sorry, I don't-- I don't understand.
Your daughter brings up a level of instability...
- Oh my God, instability. - ...which was also mentioned.
In December of 2014,
you resigned from your last position
at Jones College.
Can you tell us about that?
What is going on here?
A student flung himself from his window
- during your class, Anya. - I know!
So I'm sure you can understand
- the urgency of the matter. - I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I need a minute.
- Hey. - Hi.
I've been looking for you everywhere.
Sorry.
I'm just, uh, really glad you came.
I didn't think you would.
Hi, Wilder.
Hi, Professor Keating.
I'm glad you two met, uh,
as you know, Anya, we don't really have
traditional majors here,
but I'd say Wilder's focus is our department.
Uh, where do you live?
Oh, uh, the housing
over on Ponce.
Why?
Wanted to walk you home.
Great.
I'll see you tomorrow.
I'm in your seminar.
Great. See you tomorrow.
Interesting kid.
Yeah.
What'd you guys talk about?
Oh.
The bonfire.
Kasper, Vlad?
Vlad, Vlad, Vlad, Vlad, Vlad.
- Seriously? - Oh, Vlad!
Hey, hey! Parker!
What's up, man?
Oh, bye, Vlad.
Molly, how are you doing?
I know that was a little tense before.
So sorry I got so upset, you guys.
♪ What do you want?
♪ I want to be lonely ♪
Is that Selena Ferrara on vocals?
Oh, I didn't realize I was still on.
- Hi, guys. - Hi.
Um, hey, is-- is Reed coming?
Or is he-- Oh.
Yo! Reed, man.
I miss you.
It's been too long.
When we're-- When this is done, we're going to Bubby's, okay?
As soon as this is done, the day this is fucking over.
Oh. Has anyone heard
about Dr. Davis and Dr. Keaton?
No, why?
I saw them getting drinks at Bubby's the other day.
Yeah, okay, but maybe they like their happy hour.
I mean, I sure do.
Yeah, me too.
Yeah, she's also new. It could be routine.
Maybe, yeah, maybe, I-- I saw them not once, though,
not twice, three times, and last week.
Gossip!
You think they're fucking, bro?
I don't think they're grading papers.
- Hello. - Hey, Wilder.
Hi.
That was really emotional before,
and I just want to discuss our feelings.
You know, you kind of attacked me there
with that poetic gibberish
that sounded like it was from Planet of the Apes.
Okay, they speak English in Planet of the Apes.
- No, they don't. - Yeah, they do.
Okay, guys, so we're back.
Uh, I wanted to start this next half
by just grounding us in some text.
Really?
All right, guys, look, I, uh--
I know you don't want to acknowledge
that there's any kind of hierarchy here,
but I am your professor.
I am trying to lead you in a discussion.
I don't believe in hierarchy.
Oh, wow, Reed, that might be the first thing
you and I actually agree on.
Uh, your question of my authority
or hierarchy in this context is what?
Is directed at academia?
Yes, I mean, the institution.
And you bringing it up, you yourself are questioning it.
You know, Reed, yes, he's being an asshole dickhead,
but he still has the authority to question you
just like you have the authority to question him.
I mean, Plato, Socrates, that was like the first
student-teacher relationship, right?
But look at where hierarchy has gotten us.
We live in a completely patriarchal, racist society.
This isn't a philosophy, it's gender studies.
Oh, well, thank you for bringing up my minor.
Also, I hate it when any time a woman loves to talk
about patriarchy or equality,
a man has to question it and be like,
"Oh, do you know gender studies?"
It's, like, so frustrating.
All this male versus female bullshit.
I mean, God, we've been dealing with it
since the beginning of fucking time.
We are still dealing with it.
Ah, I mean, for example, okay, at the beginning of this class,
Parker brought up the fact that you are
in a sexual relationship with Dr. Keaton.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, Molly!
What? You did.
And just by the way, if you were a man,
do you think anybody would be saying something like that?
Right, um...
I, uh--
I'm gonna disregard that last statement
that you made, Molly, about my personal life, and I am--
I'm just gonna read the text now.
Uh, this is from Beyond Good and Evil.
"What inspires respect for women,
and often enough even fear,
is her nature, which is more natural than man's.
The genuine, cunning, suppleness
of a beast of prey.
The tiger's claw under the glove.
Her inner wildness."
Men oppress women, because they know
they're a force to be reckoned with.
Well, Nietzsche also claims that the emancipation of women
from feminism is merely just a--
I mean, kind of a resentment
of some women against other women
because they're better physically constituted
and more able to bear children.
It sounds like a little bit of a compliment from Nietzsche,
layered with this bit of misogyny, no?
No, exactly, Kasper, because literally,
any time a woman is competing against another woman,
it's inherently misogynist,
because it's for the benefit of a man.
That's, like, the first thing I've heard in this class
that makes sense.
Look, Lucinda and the Argonauts is a great example
of a text that actively engages with--
- Are you serious? - No, no, no!
We are still questioning if men are the greater sex,
and that's insane!
Right, but that's because they are, I mean--
In Nietzsche's theory, right,
a woman's whole purpose-- Her whole purpose, her goal,
is to give birth to an Ubermensch.
Which is just a theory.
Right, but her ability to do that
dictates her relationship to man.
Nietzsche talks about the Ubermensch
that literally translates to "superman."
Okay, so, Wilder,
you're actually interpreting it literally.
You know, Wilder,
I think that that interpretation is valid.
Okay, thank you, yes, more than valid, but--
- So you're agreeing with him? - No, I'm not, I'm just--
I'm saying that it's interesting,
and that I'm acknowledging it.
Look, it's impossible to talk about Nietzsche
and-- and sort of skip over misogyny.
It's-- it's in his writings.
But wouldn't it be interesting to think of misogyny
as a part of, perhaps, an overall strategy...
of Nietzsche's to demonstrate that our attitude
towards gender and sex is completely cultural?
And it's often incredibly destructive
to our-- our potential as individuals
and as a species, and...
perhaps it's something to be overcome.
It's an interesting, I mean, glorified, positive reading.
But it's all besides the point,
because when it comes down to it,
men did come first.
And were created first.
According to the Bible?
- Yeah, which is-- - So we're interpreting
the Bible literally?
Yeah, it's a source of mythological creation.
Okay, but we've seen in this class, right,
mythology, philosophy, and it's also--
There's plenty of scientific evidence
that backs this up.
Okay, Nietzsche had very controversial views on this.
Next text.
"From the beginning,
nothing has been more alien, repugnant,
or hostile to woman than truth.
Her great art is the lie
and highest concern is mere appearance and beauty."
Oh, Selena, the prime example of that.
- Wilder. - Excuse me, I'm sorry?
Well, no, it's just, you obviously
put a lot of effort into your appearance
just to come onto this online class.
You know what I mean?
- Easy, Wilder. - Oh, my God.
That is just offensive.
It's not offensive, it's just an observation.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
This whole fucking seminar is offensive.
Yeah, this whole seminar is offensive.
It's fucking biased,
and set in a bunch of made-up beliefs!
- None of you-- - Selena!
- None of you... - Selena!
...can even comprehend or understand the fact
that I might actually have a brain.
- Yeah, and that I-- - Stop, stop, stop!
I-- I--
There's something wrong with your eyes.
What? What is it?
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God, you guys,
help me, tell me what to do.
Help me! Tell me what to do.
Wash out your eyes with water and--
I have to go. I have to go, just--
Where did she go?
Maybe someone should go check on her?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm on it, all right.
Reed, the eye thing,
is it really a sign of the Sweat?
- I thought you were joking. - I thought I was joking, too.
Well, if you were joking, then how do you explain
her eyes actually being white?
I don't fucking know. Pink eye?
- Seriously? - Look, has anyone been
in contact with her in the last few days?
I left-- I left cookies at her door.
But long story.
What's so funny, weirdo?
Look, guys, I-- I, um--
I'm not so sure that we should continue.
Yeah, it-- it doesn't feel right.
I think I'm-- I'm gonna go, and check on her.
No, Mara. Mara, Mara, just stay, stay.
We should absolutely continue. What else can we do?
No, I-- I actually think that-- that we should
probably just end this.
No, Anya, we should absolutely continue.
Nothing can be done for Selena.
- How do you know? - Because I do.
Look, we have an obligation to continue this class.
What obligation, I can leave whenever I want, okay?
It's a free zone.
Okay, then go ahead.
"I love all who are, like heavy drops,
falling one by one from the dark clouds
that lowers over man.
They herald the coming of the lightning,
and succumb to the heralds."
I feel sick.
I'm going to call-- call Selena.
Hey, um--
I, uh--
So, what are we doing?
Uh, we're gonna continue.
- Really? - Next quote.
"Lead back to the earth
the virtue that flew away, as I do.
Back to life, back to the body,
that it may give the earth meaning.
A human meaning."
Okay.
Does anyone have anything to say?
Anyone?
Mara?
I think that on this notion of virtue
and the power of virtue, I think that he's saying
that we need to ground ourselves.
Right, but we can't ground ourselves
in something that's unfit.
Right, but what I'm saying is that I think we need to--
We need to find-- No, we need to find something--
Hey, Wilder, I think Mara was speaking.
- I was. - Oh, well, I speak through her.
She speaks through me.
- No, but that isn't-- - Shh. Mara.
Mara. Mara.
I just need you to give me a second so I can figure
these ideas out for myself.
What's the point when your analysis
is gonna be so generic?
You're not moving anything forward.
You're afraid, Mara.
- You're afraid. - Stop telling me what I feel.
I can tell you whatever I want to tell you.
That is not okay for you to say.
Yeah, you're right, it's not.
The Earth has become small, and on it hops the last man
who makes everything small.
Therefore, one must sacrifice themselves to the Earth
so that the Earth of the superman
may hereafter arrive.
That's incomprehensible.
It's not incomprehensible. It's so clear.
It's just difficult and--
and it's difficult to inhabit and understand,
but it is possible.
No, I don't think it is.
That's just because you're convincing yourself of that.
Because our reality has superimposed certain ideas,
certain images into your brain,
you think that it's not possible.
But there's been no proof, no actual proof
that this can't be achieved.
And look, right now,
right now, this is our chance.
I mean, we're all gonna become extinct anyway.
What are you talking about?
Oh, my God, Mara!
Come on, stop-- stop acting like you don't know me.
It's me.
If you want to keep on pretending,
then you can join the throngs of women like Selena
who prostitute themselves, and end up infected.
So what are you gonna do?
I mean, either stay or go.
Go. Go, leave. Leave the call.
Hang up on me like you did last time.
If you're not strong enough to continue this work,
then you should leave.
You are not God, Wilder.
The fuck just happened?
I don't know. Did either of them answer?
No, but maybe-- maybe Parker's there.
- I'm gonna call him. - I'll call too.
Reed, give me the number.
I hope she's okay.
It feels real bad.
What all of you are not realizing
is that this Sweat, this-- this illness,
it has the potential to wipe us all out entirely.
I mean, look at what just happened to one of our own.
We don't know what that was.
We have to face the consequences.
We have to be ready.
Ready-- ready for what?
We--
We have to prepare ourselves.
We have to take risks.
Anya, Anya, tell them.
Tell them what you told me last night.
Last night?
"Our minds are the most dangerous.
Man is but a rope
between the animal and the superman.
A rope over an abyss.
Wilder, what?
What is great about man is that he is a bridge,
not a goal."
Wilder, you have to stop.
I knew. I knew it.
I knew you were never really devoted to me, Mara, I knew.
I knew this would never last.
We-- we have to endure the unthinkable.
We have to get ready for the pain.
Wilder, Wilder, you have to listen to me, okay?
You have to stop this.
Everything-- everything is pitted against us.
Wilder, don't-- What are you doing, okay?
Listen to me, Wilder, I care about you, okay?
I'm coming over. I'm coming now, okay?
Wait, how far do you live?
Um, close, five minutes.
No, no, no, no, no, no. Not-- not close enough.
See, that's the problem. We can never be close enough.
Okay, I'm gonna meet you there, okay?
- I'll come right now. - No, wait, it's better
if it's just me, I know him.
You don't, you don't know me, Mara.
You really don't know me.
I don't know me. No one knows.
- Wilder. - No one.
Please, I'm on my way, okay?
I'm coming right now.
Dude, Mara's on her way. Everything's gonna be okay.
- Sit down, okay? - It's going to be fine.
Anya? Anya, we're in this together, right?
Like you said, right?
We're doing this work together.
Dr. Davis.
"Lo, for I am a herald of the lightning,
a drop out of the cloud."
But I am not the lightning.
The lightning, however, is the superman.
Anya, Anya, don't-- don't be afraid.
I-- I have imagined this moment.
This beautiful, beautiful moment.
Do you trust me?
Trust me.
Wilder.
This is just the beginning.
Don't--
Oh, my God!
Oh!
Is anybody there? What's happening?
Students of Eastling, hello.
I hope you are all keeping safe and well
during this challenging time.
I come to you with grave news, but also with some news of hope.
All of you know the challenges our college has faced
over these past few weeks.
Ours is a small and familiar campus.
And so it is with great sadness that I share with you
the passing of undergraduate fellow
Wilder Buck-Hewitt.
Wilder had just begun his junior year.
And those of you who knew him
or may have encountered Wilder on campus
may remember his generous
and formidable academic spirit.
We ask for privacy regarding Wilder's sudden death
from his peers, faculty, and friends.
Now, as we take this time to mourn Wilder,
we also take this opportunity
to open our campus again.
We believe that this outbreak,
or what has been referred to as the Sweat,
has been contained.
And so over the next two weeks,
we will start making our way back to class.
Now, I know this has been a difficult time for all of us.
It is my promise to you that Eastling College will come back,
and we will be better than ever.
Thank you, and take care.
We've been going through the testimonies,
and there's been a kind of unanimous statement
between the students who witnessed what happened
that you didn't try to stop Wilder
as he went towards his window.
With all due respect, nobody could stop him,
but I was actively trying to keep him online.
Kasper Krogmann said that Wilder was encouraging you to join him.
According to some of your students,
it appears as if Wilder believed that, uh,
through jumping, he was flying to prove a higher existence.
I mean, it's clear that something went wrong here.
He clearly grabbed onto these ideas
in some kind of state,
and created an alternate truth for himself.
That he existed above all of us, of humanity, per se.
That he was actually trying to align himself
with the Ubermensch?
Sorry, David, wh-- what is it that you're implying?
That-- that I was complicit?
That I somehow influenced
the death of my own student?
Anya, I'm sorry to have to put you through this,
but it's something that we absolutely--
David, David, please, I-- I just can't sit here,
and listen to you sort of defend or glorify
the-- the shortcomings of the institution.
I-- I mean, you've really spent
the greater part of this interrogation--
This is not an interrogation.
Well, whatever this is,
you've spent the greater part of it
sort of illuminating and...
broadcasting my...
private and personal frailties,
of which I have many.
I-- I suppose this is of interest of you,
because you-- you need to assign blame for what
transpired in my class, of course.
I mean, this is--
It's-- This is an issue of liability, right?
You know, it is my responsibility
to sort of open the door to-- to becoming,
but it is not my responsibility,
and it is not in my charge what becomes.
I did not take Wilder Hewitt's life.
What transpired in my class
is incredibly heartbreaking,
and please, never underestimate the depth
of suffering that I have incurred.
But...
I-- I reject
your moral accountability of this situation
and-- and honestly, shame on me for ever spending
any portion of my life trying to gain acceptance
in a realm that purports a notion...
of radical...
intellectual freedom without the capacity for--
Anya, as you know,
we have security cameras all over campus.
Yes.
And we've been checking them to see what might have happened
near Decker Hall.
Science building.
Anya, what we're about to share with you
is strictly confidential.
18th September, we have security footage
of Wilder Hewitt entering Decker Hall.
That date is about a week before the campus shut down
due to a highly infectious virus.
So Wilder, he wasn't studying science.
Decker Hall is all labs.
How did he get access?
Only faculty have access after 7:00 p.m., correct?
That's right.
Sorry, where is this going?
There's significant evidence that this Sweat, this virus
that spread all over campus was caused
by a leak in one of those labs.
So, that night, the night of September 18th,
was the last time Wilder Hewitt visited Decker Hall.
According to our footage, he visited two times
prior to that night on his own.
And you think that I knew about these visits?
I don't know what you knew, but we have clear evidence
that your card was used
to let him in on the night in question.
Sometimes I think there never really was a plan.
We were all just put here on this earth
to wither and squander, and...
wither away and not make any progress at all.
When I think that I feel scared.
I feel defeated.
Then I hear this voice.
This voice like, inside.
And this voice tells me that there is a plan.
It's not going to be easy to understand.
But it's higher.
Higher than anything I've ever imagined.
I don't think I'm even ready to understand it.
Not yet, anyway.
But I was hoping that maybe you could help me understand it.
Because I don't think I can do it alone.
I feel--
I feel so alone.
Am I alone?
Dr. Davis?