The Golden Compass and Philosophy: God Bites the Dust (Popular Culture and Philosophy, 43)

The popularity of the His Dark Materials trilogy has generated a major motion picture, a stage play, video games, and a new prequel. The series has also been highly controversial with its use of exciting adventure stories for children to comment on organized religion. These books have piqued the interest of the contributors to this fascinating volume, who use it to probe the philosophical issues that inform them. Could a golden compass, or alethiometer, really work? Can a person's soul or daemon have a mind of its own? What are the ramifications of pursuing the diabolical "intercision" process, or of trying to bring about the death of God, a plot that Lyra and her mysterious Father struggle over? These are some of the questions explored by these essays that try to get to the heart of Lyra's bewildering, inspiring, and multifaceted world. Angels And Dæmons And Bears (oh My)! -- When You Stopped Believing In God Did You Stop Believing In Good And Evil? -- Thus Spake Philip Pullman / Randall E. Auxier -- One Of These Gods Is Not Like The Other / Rachel Robison -- Is Philip Pullman Corrupting The Young? / Abrol Fairweather -- Faith And Circumcision / Wayne Yuen -- Tell Them Stories, They Need The Truth, You Must Tell Them True Stories And Everything Will Be Well, Just Tell Them Stories -- The Truth In Lyra's Lies / Kiera Vaclavik --the Many Phases Of Lyra / Margaret Mackey -- Kicking Up Some Dust / Mary Harris Russell -- All The History Of Human Life Has Been A Struggle Between Wisdom And Stupidity -- Cuts Like A Knife / Randall E. Auxier -- Is Lyra Free Enough To Be A Hero? / Nicolas Michaud -- Could The Magisterium Be Right? / Nicolas Michaud -- Was There Only One World After All, Which Spent Its Time Dreaming Of Others? -- Worlds Of Possibility / Hannah Finley -- Lyra's Journey To The World Of The Dead / Angela Rhyan Harris And Paul Baer -- Why The Dead Choose Death / Richard Greene. Edited By Richard Greene And Rachel Robison. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contents Acknowledgments Angels and Dæmons and Bears (Oh My)! Part I WHEN YOU STOPPED BELIEVING IN GOD DID YOU STOP BELIEVING IN GOOD AND EVIL? 1. Thus Spake Philip Pullman - Randall E. Auxier 2. One of These Gods Is Not Like the Other - Rachel Robison 3. Is Pullman Corrupting the Young? - Abrol Fairweather 4. Faith and Circumcision - Wayne Yuen Part II TELL THEM STORIES. THEY NEED THE TRUTH. YOU MUST TELL THEM TRUE STORIES, AND EVERYTHING WILL BE WELL, JUST TELL THEM STORIES. 5. The Truth in Lyra’s Lies - Kiera Vaclavik 6. The Many Phases of Lyra - Margaret Mackey 7. Kicking Up Some Dust - Mary Harris Russell Part III ALL THE HISTORY OF HUMAN LIFE HAS BEEN A STRUGGLE BETWEEN WISDOM AND STUPIDITY 8. Cuts Like a Knife - Randall E. Auxier 9. Is Lyra Free Enough to Be a Hero? - Nicolas Michaud 10. Could the MagisteriumBe Right? - Nicolas Michaud Part IV WAS THERE ONLY ONE WORLD AFTER ALL, WHICH SPENT ITS TIME DREAMING OF OTHERS? 11. Worlds of Possibility - Hannah Finley 12. Lyra's Journey to the World of the Dead - Angela Rhyan Harris and Paul Baer 13. Why the Dead Choose Death - Richard Greene The Magisterium The Index of Forbidden Thoughts Introduction: Angels and d'mons and bears (oh my)! Part I: When you stopped believing in God did you stop believing in good and evil? Mrs. Coulter : the overwoman? / Randall E. Auxier One of these gods is not like the other / Rachel Robison Is Philip Pullman corrupting the young? / Abrol Fairweather Faith and circumcision / Wayne Yuen Part II: Tell them stories, they need the truth, you must tell them true stories and everything will be well, just tell them stories The truth in Lyra's lies / Kiera Vaclavik The many faces of Lyra / Margaret Mackey Kicking up some dust / Mary Russell Part III: All the history of human life has been a struggle between wisdom and stupidity Cuts like a knife / Randall E. Auxier Is Lyra free enough to be a hero? / Nicolas Michaud Could the magisterium be right? / Nicolas Michaud Part IV: Was there only one world after all, which spent its time dreaming of others? Worlds of possibility / Hannah Finley Lyra's journey to the world of the dead : who's going with me? / Angela Rhyan Harris and Paul Baer Why the dead choose death / Richard Greene. Looks at the philosophy behind some of the biggest names in pop culture, including movies, video games, music groups, and more.