You are here:

Dangerous Knowledge

Name: Dangerous Knowledge
Director: David Malone
Released: 2007
Duration: 89 min

Representation Score

6.2/10

Good

2007

Director

David Malone

Runtime

89 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Dangerous Knowledge is an intellectual history that prioritizes philosophical depth over broad demographic representation. It successfully humanizes the intersection of genius and mental health, offering a nuanced look at neurodivergence. However, the film's focus on a historically homogeneous group of Western, male mathematicians limits its broader impact and contemporary relevance.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Dangerous Knowledge have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film centers on Alan Turing, highlighting the tension between personal identity and state-imposed expectations of heterosexuality. It emphasizes his intellectual contributions while also showing the pressures he faced.

How does Dangerous Knowledge portray gender?

Fair

The narrative focuses on a group of male mathematicians from the mid-20th century. It highlights the absence of women in high-level mathematics during that time.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Dangerous Knowledge?

Limited

The documentary examines the development of Western mathematical thought. It focuses on a European and Anglo-American intellectual tradition, reflecting historical whiteness.

How does Dangerous Knowledge represent religion and culture?

Good

The film challenges the notion of a stable, rational Western mind. It uses a postmodern approach to critique pure rationalism through the lens of subjective reality.

Does Dangerous Knowledge include disability representation?

Good

The film explores the lived experience of neurodivergence and mental illness. It avoids using these conditions for inspiration by treating psychological distress as an integral part of these thinkers' lives.

Present on Screen

Offers a meaningful and respectful exploration of mental health and neurodivergence.
Includes the life and legacy of Alan Turing, addressing systemic pressures on LGBTQ+ individuals.
Challenges traditional Western rationalism through a complex, skeptical philosophical lens.

Limited or Absent

Lacks gender diversity, focusing almost exclusively on a male historical cohort.
Limited racial and ethnic scope, adhering strictly to Western intellectual traditions.
Does not include non-Western perspectives or diverse mathematical lineages.

Official Synopsis

In this one-off documentary, David Malone looks at four brilliant mathematicians – Georg Cantor, Ludwig Boltzmann, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing – whose genius has profoundly affected us, but which tragically drove them insane and eventually led to them all committing suicide. The film also talks to the latest in the line of thinkers who have continued to pursue the question of whether there are things that mathematics and the human mind cannot know. Dangerous Knowledge tackles some of the profound questions about the true nature of reality that mathematical thinkers are still trying to answer today.

How are these scores produced? →