Abstract

The Ontological Question seems to be the main source of controversy in the Anti-intentionalism versus Intentionalism debate. The Ontological Question asks what determines the meaning of an artwork? Intentionalists argue that the intention of the artist determines the meaning of the artwork, while Anti-intentionalists argue that the artwork alone determines its own meaning. In this article I answer this question as it relates to film analysis. I propose a Biosemantic variety of film analysis, rooted in semantic externalist philosophy of language. Via this Biosemantic approach, and with the help of a case study of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, I provide an answer to the Ontological Question which refutes two main varieties of Intentionalism and supports Anti-intentionalist film analysis.