When the film The Sixth Sense, directed by Night Shyamalan debuted in 1999, it mesmerized audiences near and far with its appealing paranormal plot, its deceptive nature and its top-shelf talent from its actors. The film was immensely prosperous and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. However, most casual moviegoers overlooked its underlying philosophical significance. The Sixth Sense is driven by the big questions of life from almost every aspect of philosophy specifically metaphysics and epistemology. In this specific scene Shyamalan relies on subtlety to create a creepy atmosphere of something beyond our ordinary beliefs and understanding. He builds up the story very slowly, gradually unrevealing the mysteries in the lives of the main …show more content…
Throughout the entire movie, the viewers are led to believe that Malcolm is actually alive because he looks and acts real. However, this is not the case. In the ending, it is revealed that Malcolm had been dead the entire time, living as a ghost (1.40.00 The Sixth Sense). The spectators had perceived Malcolm to be real, but later found out the deception of their senses. This creates philosophical thought, causing the audience to question if it’s possible for humans to know what real knowledge is and if the senses can actually account for it. One serious question that arises while watching this film is how does one define real knowledge? If one defines real knowledge as something that can be observed by the five senses, then it is simply electrical signals interpreted by the brain. However, the story shows us that the senses can be deceived. Malcolm appeared to be alive when in actuality he was dead. So how could one actually define real knowledge? What is the difference between appearance and reality? It calls to mind the metaphysics of Plato and the Realm of the Forms. How do we know that material objects are not merely images of real objects in an inferior realm? These are the tough philosophical questions that this scene raises and that every philosopher must