from: Open Court
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 100
EAN: 9780812694338
ISBN: 0812694333
Label: Open Court
Manufacturer: Open Court
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: February 28, 2001
Publisher: Open Court
Studio: Open Court
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com Review:
No doubt Aristotle just rolled over in his grave. An essay called "Homer and Aristotle" would appear to be a treatise on two ancient Greek thinkers; in this case, it's a depiction of Homer Simpson's Aristotelian virtues. Raja Halwani's "Homeric" essay is amusing, though, and moreover, it actually ends up being enlightening, especially for those just learning Aristotle's ethics. Bart may be a Nietzschean without knowing it; Mr. Burns is a cipher for unhappiness (except when he eats "so-called iced-cream"); and Ned Flanders raises questions about neighborly love. The Simpsons and Philosophy has a lot to say about The Simpsons, and even more to say about philosophy.
The book collects 18 essays into an unpretentious, tongue-in-cheek, and surprisingly intelligent look at philosophy through the lens of Matt Groening's vaunted animated series. The editors are quick to point out that they don't think The Simpsons "is the equivalent of history's best works of literature ... but it nevertheless is just deep enough, and certainly funny enough, to warrant serious attention." The writers of the book are mostly professional philosophers, and they are appropriately erudite. But what is truly astonishing, even for a confessed Simpsons addict, is their breadth of Simpsons knowledge, spanning all 12 seasons of the show's history. The Simpsons and Philosophy is obviously not intended to be a turning point in modern thought, but it is an excellent introduction to some core elements of philosophy. --Eric de Place
Product Description:
The Simpsons is one of the most literary and intelligent comedies on television today-fertile ground for questions such as: Does Nietzsche justify Bart's bad behavior? Is hypocrisy always unethical? What is Lisa's conception of the Good? From the editor of the widely-praised Seinfeld and Philosophy, The Simpsons and Philosophy is an insightful and humorous look at the philosophical tenets of America's favorite animated family that will delight Simpsons fans and philosophy aficionados alike.
Twenty-one philosophers and academics discuss and debate the absurd, hyper-ironic, strangely familiar world that is Springfield, the town without a state. In exploring the thought of key philosophers including Aristotle, Marx, Camus, Sartre, Heidegger, and Kant through episode plots and the characters' antics, the contributors 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 lists the names and dates of the major thinkers in the history of philosophy, accompanied by a representative quote from each.
Average Rating: 
Rating: -
I reread this book recently on my Kindle (had the original paperback) and found it still one of the best examples of how one can use pop culture to introduce a broader audience to philosophy. There is no denying that the Simpsons has been one of the best shows on American tv for the past couple of decades, and it is so intelligently done that pretty much every major issue in philosophy can be introduced by example, picking on the right Simpsons' episode or character. Of course, as always with edited books, the writing is uneven, with some chapters barely worth a look (the one on Heidegger, for instance). But the editors pulled this off very nicely nonetheless, and in fact the whole idea eventually flourished in a large series of available titles with a similar scope. The book could also be used in introductory philosophy classes to show the students the obvious truth: philosophy is highly relevant to everyday life, and it can even be fun!
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I truly enjoyed reading this book even though I have some understanding regarding philosophy. However, after having read The Simpsons and Philosophy; it has sparked my interest in philosophy, particularly an interest in Frederick Nietzsche. As others have stated, if you have an interest or are familiar with philosophy combined with being a fan of the show; you will find that reading this book is worthy of your time.
FYI:
I did not get a chance to write a review at the time I purchased and read this book until now.
Rating:  -
This was in insightful read for the simpson's fan. I loved it and will be giving it as gifts for friends. HIGH reviews from me.
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To put it simply, this book takes all the amusing situations in Simpsons episodes and SUCKS the funny right out of it to make a "philosophical" point.
Rating: -
After all the good reviews, including from Publisher's Weekly, I was expecting a thought-provoking and interesting read. Instead, "The Simpsons and Philosophy" is an uneven, but mostly poor, collection of essays that do not do the television show or the Popular Culture and Philosophy book series justice. Some of the more bizarre entries:
In the essay "Thus Spake Bart: On Nietzsche and the Virtues of Being Bad," the author spends many pages describing the Nietzchean hero only to conclude at the end that Bart does NOT represent the Nietzchean ideal since he is merely defined in opposition to authority. For a book about the Simpsons, it would have made more sense to spend a couple of pages explaining what Bart is not, and the majority of the essay explaining what he philosophically DOES represent.
The essays on allusions and parodies are what one would expect to find in a basic literary commentary, not a philosophy book.
"Simpsonian Sexual Politics" makes several claims that I, as a feminist, found astonishingly off-base. The authors' believe that Marge is merely the descendant of many domesticated sitcom mothers, completely missing how that representation is used to undercut and subvert that traditional image. Among their claims is that the Simpson home is a bastion of "moral serenity" except when challenged by the public moral decay of Springfield -- to anyone familiar with the character of Homer Simpson and his antics (lying, cheating, hypocrisy, etc.) that claim is utterly laughable. The authors also describe Marge as "asexual" though they admit she has a "satisfying sex life" -- one can only assume that since Homer's and Marge's active and imaginative sex life is one of the shows' ongoing jokes, that the authors describe her as asexual because her sexual assets are not on display for general consumption. A curious contradiction in a feminist essay.
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed the Buffy The Vampire Slayer book in the same series, I expected the same caliber of analysis for The Simpsons but was sadly disappointed. Ironically, one of the essays in this book refers to Buffy with the shockingly false claim (typical of this book in general) that BTVS is "strongly committed to a black and white distinction between right and wrong as only teenagers can be." In fact that show is well-known for dealing with moral ambiguity -- and the far superior Buffy and Philosophy book has the insightful and edifying essays that this book fails to provide. In the future, I'll be far more cautious about spending money on books in this series!
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