Love among the ruins: on the possibility of dialectical activity in Paris, Texas

In this paper I give an interpretation of the Wim Wenders film, Paris, Texas, that brings to bear Talbot Brewer’s notion of “dialectical activity.” According to Brewer, dialectical activity is an activity the value of which is only obscurely glimpsed at the outset, and which must be deepened and broadened through progressive engagement in the activity. I argue that these features characterize Travis, the main character in the film, and that his developing engagement in activity explains the viewer’s sense of initial disorientation gradually resolving itself into clarity. Drawing on Alasdair MacIntyre, I argue that another reason for disorientation is provided by the overwhelming social environment of modern America that makes the pursuit of dialectical activity hard to sustain.