Doctor Who and Philosophy: Bigger on the Inside (Popular Culture and Philosophy (55))

Review “Opening this book is like opening the door to the TARDIS: we get to spend time with our favorite incarnations of the Doctor whether the First, the Fourth, the Eleventh, or Doctor-Donna, and ponder what it means to travel through time, grow a new personality, fall in love, sacrifice for a greater good, and experience the cosmos for all the wonder it is. Really, Doctor Who and Philosophy is even better than a Sonic Screwdriver.” —JOSEF STEIFF, Professor of Film at Columbia College Chicago and author of The Complete IdiotвЂTMs Guide to Independent Filmmaking “This dimensionally transcendental volume explains what the Doctor never gets around to until later: the basics of Gallifreyan philosophy and ethics, as translated through EarthвЂTMs philosophers. A fun, informative volume for folks interested in an introduction to philosophy through the vortex of Doctor Who.” —LYNNE M. THOMAS, co-editor of Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It “Lewis and Smithka have done all sapient species a brilliant service by introducing Doctor Who and Philosophy into the time continuum. Like the DoctorвЂTMs human companions, we get to travel through a universe of Big Ideas with a caring, clever, and, yes, conflicted friend. Next to a real TARDIS swooping down and carrying us off, nothing could beat the experience of reading this book.” —PATRICK D. HOPKINS, editor of Sex/Machine “Doctor Who and Philosophy makes you want to go right back to episodes like ‘RobotвЂTM and ‘The Brain of MorbiusвЂTM so you can watch them again, now that you know what theyвЂTMre really about. No series in the entire history of television has lit up all the beacons of classic philosophy like Doctor Who, and this brilliant book is chock full of Time Lord enlightenment.” —ROB ARP, Consulting Ontologist and author of Scenario Visualization: An Evolutionary Account of Creative Problem Solving “An intriguing collection of essays that examines Doctor Who from every philosophical angle imaginable. Do you want theories and contradictions of time travel? ItвЂTMs in there. Do you want a deep examination of the nature of identity, as understood through the Doctor and his regenerative ability? ItвЂTMs in there, too, and it is considered from a variety of philosophical approaches. And so is much, much more. Lewis and Smithka have assembled a fascinating anthology, one that all Who fans, media scholars, and armchair philosophers should want on their shelves.” —CHRIS HANSEN, editor of Ruminations, Peregrinations, and Regenerations: A Critical Approach to Doctor Who About the Author Courtland Lewis is a lifelong Doctor Who fan and a doctoral candidate in philosophy at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Paula Smithka is the coeditor of Community, Diversity, and Difference: Implications for Peace. She is also an associate professor of philosophy at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Not only is Doctor Who the longest-running science fiction TV show in history, but it has also been translated into numerous languages, broadcast around the world, and referred to as the “way of the future” by some British politicians. The Classic Doctor Who series built up a loyal American cult following, with regular conventions and other activities. The new series, relaunched in 2005, has emerged from culthood into mass awareness, with a steadily growing viewership and major sales of DVDs. The current series, featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, is breaking all earlier records, in both the UK and the US. Doctor Who is a continuing story about the adventures of a mysterious alien known as “the Doctor,” a traveller of both time and space whose spacecraft is the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space), which from the outside looks like a British police telephone box of the 1950s. The TARDIS is “bigger on the inside than on the outside”—actually the interior is immense. The Doctor looks human, but has two hearts, and a knowledge of all languages in the universe. Periodically, when the show changes the leading actor, the Doctor “regenerates.” A Collection Of Essays That Explore The Philosophical Themes And Implications Of Television's Doctor Who Series, Discussing Personal Identity, Time, Ethics, Existence, Aesthetics, And Other Topics. We've Been Abducted By The Doctor, And We Love It! / Courtland Lewis And Paula Smithka -- I'm The Doctor. Who? Personal Identity And The Doctor -- Wibbly-wobbly, Timey-wimey ... Stuff : The Science, Logic And Other Really Cool Stuff Of Doctor Who -- It's A Different Morality; Get Used To It, Or Go Home! : The Ethics Of Doctor Who -- Human Beings, You're Amazing; Apart From That, You're Completely Mad : What The Doctor Teaches Us About Existence -- Brilliant! Fantastic! Molto Bene! : Aesthetics In Doctor Who -- Lots Of Places Have A North! : Human And Time Lord Culture -- Would You Like A Jelly-baby? : Words Of Wisdom From Doctor Who -- The What, When, And Who Of Doctor Who Episode And Companion List. Edited By Courtland Lewis And Paula Smithka. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In Doctor Who and Philosophy , a team of mostly human philosophers (who are also fans) looks at the deeper issues raised by the Doctor's mind-blowing adventures. They discuss, among other topics, the Doctor's philosophy of science, the ethics of a universe with millions of intelligent species, what makes one life-form more important than another, whether time travelers can change history, and how the Doctor Who TV show is changing the world we live in. The chapters draw freely on both the classic series (19631989) and the new series. The book includes a collection of entertaining and insightful quotes from Doctor Who plus a complete list of episodes and companions.