Popular Culture and Philosophy
2 primary works • 3 total works
Book 1
This entertaining but thought provoking collection uses "Seinfeld" episodes to introduce readers to important concepts in philosophy. Some essays are devoted to single characters, asking questions such as "Did Jerry, like Socrates, lead an examined life?" Others explore philosophical issues raised by the show, debating whether it was rational for George to "do the opposite". The authors also examine the ethical problems of everyday life, drawing upon the many examples found in the show. The volume includes a guide to "Seinfeld" episodes and a chronological guide to important philosophers.
Book 2
A light-hearted introduction to philosophy through the antics of the Simpsons, television's animated family. These essays on the silly, absurd, hyper-ironic and strangely philosophical world that is Springfield - the town without a state - explore philosophy and the major philosophers of Western thought: is Bart a pragmatist? Why is Mr Burn's quest for happiness continually frustrated? The contributors discuss the thought of key philosophers including Aristotle, Marx, Camus, Sartre, Heidegger and Kant, and tackle issues like irony and the meaning of life, American anti-intellectualism, and existential rebellion. The volume also includes an episode guide and a chronology of philosophers which gives the names and dates of the major thinkers in the history of philosophy, accompanied by a representative quote from each.
v. 3
Is the world around us truly as it appears or are we inert bodies in tanks, our brains subjected to electronic stimulation creating a make-believe world of hallucination? The Keanu Reeves cult sci-fi movie, The Matrix, vividly conveyed the excitement and the horror of a fake world made of nothing but perceptions, substituting for a real world of grim despair. Since The Matrix is probably the most overtly philosophical movie ever to have come out of Hollywood it has popularised issues on which philosophers have a lot to say. The Matrix and Philosophy is from the same team of cool, capable, young philosophers who created The Simpsons and Philosophy, which redefined the market for a work by serious philosophers. It has 20 new, thoughtful essays on philosophical problems raised by The Matrix, many of which focus on the issues "Can we be sure the world is really there, and if not, what should we do about it?" The book also explores other philosophical puzzles including ethical ones like Cypher's decision to choose a pleasurable fake world over a wretched real one.