Overview

Can Wonder Woman help us understand feminist philosophy? How Does Wakandan technology transcend anti-Blackness? What can Star Trek teach us about the true nature of reality?  Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture makes important philosophical concepts and the work of major philosophers relevant, fun, and exciting. Using engaging examples from film and television, this easy-to-read book covers everything from basic metaphysics and epistemology to abstract and complex philosophical ideas about ethics and the meaning of life. You don’t have to be a pop culture expert to benefit from this book—even a general awareness of cultural icons like Superman or Harry Potter will be more than enough for you to learn about a wide range of philosophical notions, thinkers, and movements.  The expanded second edition offers timely coverage of important topics such as race, gender, personal identity, social justice, and environmental ethics. New essays explore the philosophical underpinnings of The Good Place, Game of Thrones, Black Panther, Star Wars, The Avengers, South Park, The Lego Movie, The Big Bang Theory, and more. This edition is supported by a new website with links to primary philosophical texts, information about all the popular culture discussed, and additional resources for teachers, students, and general readers alike.  Features a selection of key essays from the bestselling Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series  Draws on examples from popular media including The Matrix, Lost, Doctor Strange, The Hobbit, Westworld, and Star Trek  Explains philosophical concepts such as relativism, skepticism, existentialist ethics, logic, social contract theory, utilitarianism, and mind-body dualism  Discusses the ideas of Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Descartes, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Marx, Mill, Kierkegaard, and other important thinkers  Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture is an excellent supplementary textbook for introductory philos for introductory philosophy courses and a valuable resource for general readers wanting to learn about philosophy and its connections with pop culture. 

Full Product Details

Author:   William Irwin (King's College, Wilkes-Barre, PA) ,  David Kyle Johnson (King's College, Wilkes-Barre, PA)
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Imprint:   Wiley-Blackwell
Edition:   2nd edition
Dimensions:   Width: 16.80cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 24.40cm
Weight:   0.794kg
ISBN:  

9781119757177

ISBN 10:   1119757177
Pages:   432
Publication Date:   14 April 2022
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Table of Contents

"Notes on Contributors xi Acknowledgments xvii Sources xix Introduction 1 Part I: What is Philosophy? 3 Socrates and the Spirit of Philosophy 1 Flatulence and Philosophy: A Lot of Hot Air, or the Corruption of Youth? 5 William W. Young, III Logic and Fallacies 2 The Chewbacca Defense: A South Park Logic Lesson 14 Robert Arp Relativism and Truth 3 Wikiality, Truthiness, and Gut Thinking: Doing Philosophy Colbert Style 23 David Kyle Johnson Part II: Epistemology 35 Introduction 35 The Ethics of Belief 4 You Know, I Learned Something Today: Stan Marsh and the Ethics of Belief 37 Henry Jacoby Skepticism 5 Tumbling Down the Rabbit Hole: Knowledge, Reality, and the Pit of Skepticism 44 Matt Lawrence Definition of Knowledge 6 Adama's True Lie: Earth and the Problem of Knowledge 54 Eric J. Silverman 7 Wakandan Resources: The Epistemological Reality of Black Panther’s Fiction 62 Ruby Komic Part III: Metaphysics 71 Introduction 71 The Nature of Reality 8 Life on a Holodeck: What Star Trek Can Teach Us About the True Nature of Reality 73 Dara Fogel Mind and Body 9 Astral Bodies and Cartesian Souls: Mind–Body Dualism in Doctor Strange 82 Dean A. Kowalski 10 Mind and Body in Zion 90 Matt Lawrence Personal Identity 11 Amnesia, Personal Identity, and the Many Lives of Wolverine 101 Jason Southworth Freedom and Determinism 12 The Consolation of Bilbo: Providence and Free Will in Middle-Earth 107 Grant Sterling 13 Inception and Free Will: Are They Compatible? 115 John R. Fitzpatrick and David Kyle Johnson Consciousness and Artificial Intelligence 14 Turing's Dream and Searle's Nightmare in Westworld 123 Lucia Carrillo González 15 What is it Like to Be a Host? 128 Bradley Richards Time Travel 16 The Time Travel in Avengers: Endgame 136 David Kyle Johnson Part IV: Philosophy of Religion 145 Introduction 145 The Problem of Evil 17 South Park, Cartmanland, and the Problem of Evil 147 David Kyle Johnson The Existence of God 18 Hidden Mickeys and the Hiddenness of God 156 Robert K. Garcia and Timothy Pickavance Faith 19 The Jedi Knights of Faith: Anakin, Luke, and Soren (Kierkegaard) 164 William A. Lindenmuth Part V: Ethics 173 Introduction 173 Utilitarianism and Deontology 20 Why Doesn't Batman Kill the Joker? 175 Mark D. White 21 Means, Ends, and the Critique of Pure Superheroes 183 J. Robert Loftis Virtue Ethics 22 Can Eleanor Really Become a Better Person? (The Good Place) 191 Eric J. Silverman and Zachary Swanson Friendship 23 ""You're a Sucky, Sucky Friend"": Seeking Aristotelian Friendship in The Big Bang Theory 198 Dean A. Kowalski Stoicism 24 ""You Are Asking Me to Be Rational"": Stoic Philosophy and the Jedi Order 207 Matt Hummel Part VI: Challenges to Traditional Ethics 215 Introduction 215 Nietzschean Critique 25 Rediscovering Nietzsche's Ûbermensch in Superman as a Heroic Ideal 217 Arno Bogaerts Existentialist Ethics 26 Knowing Who You Are: Existence Precedes Essence in Moana 228 William J. Devlin Feminist Critique 27 Becoming a (Wonder) Woman: Feminism, Nationalism, and the Ambiguity of Female Identity 236 J. Lenore Wright 28 The Silence of Our Mother: Eywa as the Voice of Feminine Care Ethics (Avatar) 245 George A. Dunn and Nicolas Michaud Environmental Ethics 29 ""Everything Is Backwards Now"": Avatar, Anthropocentrism, and Relational Reason 253 Jeremy David Bendik-Keymer Part VII: Social and Political Philosophy 263 Introduction 263 Social Contract Theory 30 Maester Hobbes Goes to King's Landing (Game of Thrones) 265 Greg Littmann 31 Lost's State of Nature 273 Richard Davies Marxism 32 Federation Trekonomics: Marx, the Federation, and the Shift from Necessity to Freedom 284 Jeff Ewing Rawls 33 Superman and Justice 292 Christopher Robichaud Libertarianism 34 Cartman Shrugged: South Park and Libertarian Philosophy 299 Paul A. Cantor Race 35 Ninjas, Kobe Bryant, and Yellow Plastic: The LEGO Minifigure and Race 311 Roy T. Cook 36 When Tech Meets Tradition: How Wakandan Technology Transcends Anti-Blackness 321 Timothy E. Brown Political Manipulation 37 Black Mirror and Political Manipulation: How Are We Tricked into Dehumanizing Others? 329 Bertha Alvarez Manninen The #MeToo Movement 38 Black Mirror and #DeathTo: What Are the Consequences of Trial by Twitter? 338 Aline Maya Part VIII: Eastern Views 349 Introduction 349 39 The Brick, the Plate, and the Uncarved Block: LEGO as an Expression of the Dao 351 Steve Bein 40 LEGO, Impermanence, and Buddhism 359 David Kahn 41 Zen and the Art of Imagineering: Disney's Escapism Versus Buddhism's Liberation 367 Steve Bein Part IX: The Afterlife and Meaning 375 Introduction 375 An Afterlife Gives Meaning 42 Beyond Godric's Hollow: Life After Death and the Search for Meaning (Harry Potter) 377 Jonathan L. Walls and Jerry L. Walls An Afterlife Wouldn't Give Meaning 43 Why it Wouldn't be Rational to Believe You're in The Good Place (and Why You Wouldn't Want to Be Anyway) 384 David Kyle Johnson Index 393"

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Author Information

WILLIAM IRWIN is a Professor of Philosophy at King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He originated the philosophy and pop culture genre of books with Seinfeld and Philosophy in 1999. He is General Editor of the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series and the author of The Meaning of Metallica: Ride the Lyrics. DAVID KYLE JOHNSON is a Professor of Philosophy at King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He is Editor of Inception and Philosophy and Black Mirror and Philosophy, and is Editor-in-Chief of The Palgrave Handbook of Popular Culture as Philosophy.

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