Incorporate films, tv episodes, podcasts, and other media that include plots or conversations related to ethics and the activity of philosophical inquiry as an in-class activity. By viewing popular media, students understand that philosophical ideas and ethical issues are part of everyday, contemporary life. The suggested film and questions offer an opportunity for reflection on why the textual material matters, which can be used as the basis for discussion or assessment.

In this story, a failed scientific experiment has turned Earth into a frozen world and killed off nearly all life on the planet. Everyone that remains of the human population resides on a self-sustaining train that travels nonstop around the globe, powered by a revolutionary perpetual motion engine created by a man called Wilford. But, a brutal class system has evolved over the 18 years that humanity has been confined to the train, dividing its population between the lower-class passengers, discarded to live in squalor at the tail section of the train, and a privileged class travelling in luxury at the head of the train. The train's creator, Wilford, occupies the very front of the train, living in opulence and serving as the absolute authority over all.

Throughout Snowpiercer, the powers at large describe the circumstances on the train as representing a "a closed ecological system." Wilford expresses his ruling ethic in these terms: "everyone has their preordained position. . . [and] the fact is, we are all stuck on this blasted train . . . And this train is a closed ecosystem. We must always strive for balance. Air, water, food supply, and population must always be kept in balance. For optimum balance, however, there have been times where more radical solutions were required, when the population needed to be reduced, rather drastically."