Abstract
Snowpiercer can be interpreted as a critique of social stratification, social engineering, and government overreach, but deeper down, it is essentially a commentary on authoritarianism and humanity. From the beginning, the film provokes the viewers to take the side of the tail-enders and join them in their revolution to overthrow the train’s oppressive regime so that a better government can take its place. However, the message of the film is much more complicated than it appears. Ultimately, it is a question of how far humans are willing to go to ensure the survival of their species and for the preservation of their humanity. By analyzing every aspect of the film, this chapter will show that what can be more dangerous to humanity than any authoritarian regime is humanity itself.
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Marquez, L.P. (2024). Snowpiercer as Philosophy: The Danger to Humanity. In: Kowalski, D.A., Lay, C., S. Engels, K. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Popular Culture as Philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24685-2_68
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