Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle
Philosophy at the Movies - Un podcast de Stockdale Center - Shaun Baker, PhD.
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What does this 2021 film, based upon the true story of 2nd Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda, a WWII Japanese Army intelligence officer who held out on the Philippine island of Lubang until 1974, tell us about his sense of duty? What does it tell us about the capacity of the human mind to render any evidence or experience consistent with strongly held beliefs? How can Onoda’s case be used to illustrate the notion of the non-falsifiable hypothesis? How does it relate to today’s notions of ‘fake news,’ and conspiracy theory? How does the film explore the differences between the ethos of the Japanese guerilla warfare officers and the more typical ‘fight till you die’ ethos of the Imperial Japanese Army? Did the Philippine government do the right thing in pardoning Onoda for his killings of its civilians during his 30 years on the island, actions that were war-crimes? Did the vast expanse of the Pacific theater almost ensure that some Japanese soldiers would be long-term holdouts, as was the case with Hiroo Onoda and several others?
