Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture - 9781444334531

"This totally engaging book shows how philosophy helps you to live happily, reflect logically and act responsibly. It is an essential tool for contemporary students and teaches of philosophy. Enjoy!-David Carrier, Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Institute of Art

What can South Park tell us about Socrates and the nature of evil? How does The Office help us to understand Sartre and existentialist ethics? Can Battlestar Galactica shed light on the existence of God?

Introducing Philosophy through Pop Culture uses popular culture to illustrate important philosophical concepts and the work of the major philosophers. With examples from film, television, and music including South Park, House, M.D., The Matrix, X-Men, Batman, Harry Potter, Metallica and Lost, even the most abstract and complex philosophical ideas become easier to grasp.

This unique textbook, featuring essays from the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, is perfect for any introduction to philosophy course. From metaphysics to epistemology; from ethics to the meaning of life, Introducing Philosophy through Pop Culture makes philosophy as engaging as popular culture itself.

William Irwin is professor of Philosophy and Director of the Honors Program at King's College in Pennsylvania. In addition to publishing in leading scholarly journals such as Philosophy and Literature and The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Irwin originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books with Seinfeld and Philosophy in 1999. Irwin has also co-edited The Simpsons and Philosophy and edited The Matrix and Philosophy and Metallica and Philosophy. He is currently the General Editor of the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series.

David Kyle Johnson is assistant professor of Philosophy at King's College in Pennsylvania. In addition to his scholarly work on philosophy of religion, Johnson has edited Heroes and Philosophy and is also a contributor to the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, having written chapters on South Park, Family Guy, The Office, Battlestar Galactica, and Batman. Johnson hosts a podcast on Pop Culture and Philosophy at www.philosophyandpopculture.com