The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer (Popular Culture and Philosophy (2))

Guess I didn't read the review thoroughly because I bought this for high school students to read and its level is way above what I expected to be interesting and engaging. Here We Can Find Out About Irony And The Meaning Of Life, The Politics Of The Nuclear Family, Marxism In Springfield, The Elusiveness Of Happiness, Popular Parody As A Form Of Tribute, And Why We Need Animated Tv Shows. As If All That Weren't Enough, This Book Actually Contains The Worst Philosophy Essay Ever. Pt. 1. The Characters. Homer And Aristotle / Raja Halwani ; Lisa And American Anti-intellectualism / Aeon J. Skoble ; Why Maggie Matters: Sounds Of Silence, East And West / Eric Bronson ; Marge's Moral Motivation / Gerald J. Erion, Joseph A. Zeccardi ; Thus Spake Bart: On Nietzsche And The Virtues Of Being Bad / Mark T. Conard -- Pt. 2. Simpsonian Themes. The Simpsons And Allusion: Worst Essay Ever / William Irwin, J.r. Lombardo ; Popular Parody: The Simpsons Meets The Crime Film / Deborah Knight ; The Simpsons, Hyper-irony, And The Meaning Of Life / Carl Matheson ; Simpsonian Sexual Politics / Dale E. Snow, James J. Snow -- Pt. 3. I Didn't Do It: Ethics And The Simpsons. The Moral World Of The Simpson Family: A Kantian Perspective / James Lawler ; The Simpsons: Atomistic Politics And The Nuclear Family / Paul A. Cantor ; Springfield Hypocrisy / Jason Holt ; Enjoying The So-called Iced Cream: Mr. Burns, Satan, And Happiness / Daniel Barwick ; Hey-diddily-ho, Neighboreenos: Ned Flanders And Neighborly Love / David Vessey ; The Function Of Fiction: The Heuristic Value Of Homer / Jennifer L. Mcmahon -- Pt. 4. The Simpsons And The Philosophers. A (karl, Not Groucho) Marxist In Springfield / James M. Wallace ; And The Rest Writes Itself: Roland Barthes Watches The Simpsons / David L.g. Arnold ; What Bart Calls Thinking / Kelly Dean Jolley. Edited By William Irwin, Mark T. Conard, And Aeon J. Skoble. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This unconventional and lighthearted introduction to the ideas of the major Western philosophers examines The Simpsons — TV's favorite animated family. The authors look beyond the jokes, the crudeness, the attacks on society — and see a clever display of irony, social criticism, and philosophical thought. The writers begin with an examination of the characters. Does Homer actually display Aristotle's virtues of character? In what way does Bart exemplify American pragmatism? The book also examines the ethics and themes of the show, and concludes with discussions of how the series reflects the work of Aristotle, Marx, Camus, Sartre, and other thinkers. A light-hearted introduction to philosophy through the antics of the Simpsons, television's animated family. The contributors discuss the thought of key philosophers including Aristotle, Sartre and Kant, and tackle issues like irony and the meaning of life, and American anti-intellectualism.