Is the film 300 a political statement about world affairs or simply a piece of art? Each viewer can decide for himself, but should the director take responsibility for a viewer's interpretation? Those are two of the topics up for discussion when the Humanities Advisory Committee at Otterbein College presents a lecture by Professor Paul C. Taylor of Temple University called Ideology Written in Lightning: Aesthetics, Ethics and Frank Miller's "300" at 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, in the Philomathean Room on the third floor of Towers Hall, 1 S. Grove St., Westerville.

The film 300 is a visually ambitious depiction of the ancient battle of Thermopylae. In it, a small band of soldiers from what will become Europe holds off a teeming multiracial and multicultural throng, from an empire with its seat in what will become Iran. In this and other respects, the film seems like a blatant allegory for contemporary affairs. But the director denies any interest in commenting on current events.

Should artists accept the public meanings of their actions, even if these meanings are unintended? Should anyone? What does it mean for people to deny or contest the obvious interpretations of their behavior? Ideology Written in Lightning will explore the ethical implications of these questions, the relation between these questions and the issues of ethnic and racial identity, and the role of aesthetics in conducting this sort of inquiry.