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<p>Introduction: Contemplating a House of Cards 1</p> <p><b>Part I Socrates, Plato, and Frank 3</b></p> <p>1 Of Sheep, Shepherds, and a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: The Cynical View of Politics in House of Cards and Plato’s Republic 5<br /> <i>James Ketchen and Michael Yeo</i></p> <p>2 Being versus Seeming: Socrates and the Lessons of Francis Underwood’s Asides 16<br /> <i>John Scott Gray</i></p> <p><b>Part II Imagining Possibilities: American Ideals in <i>House of Cards 29</i></b></p> <p>3 Frank Underwood Gives the Ideal Society a Reality Check 31<br /> <i>Brian Kogelmann</i></p> <p>4 “What Will We Leave Behind?” Claire Underwood’s American Dream 42<b><br /> </b><i>Sarah J. Palm and Kenneth W. Stikkers</i></p> <p><b>Part III Characterizing Frank: Übermensch or the Prince 53</b></p> <p>5 Underwood as Übermensch: A Postmodern Play of Power 55<br /> <i>Leslie A. Aarons</i></p> <p>6 Why Underwood Is Frankly Not an Overman 68<br /> <i>Matt Meyer</i></p> <p>7 American Machiavelli 81<br /> <i>Greg Littmann</i></p> <p>8 Machiavelli Would Not Be Impressed 92<br /> <i>Don Fallis</i></p> <p>9 Is Frank the Man for the Job? House of Cards and the Problem of Dirty Hands 102<b><br /> </b><i>Tomer J. Perry</i></p> <p><b>Part IV Classical Liberalism and Democracy 113</b></p> <p>10 Frank the Foole, Upon a House of Cards 115<br /> <i>Shane D. Courtland</i></p> <p>11 Hobbes and Frank on Why Democracy Is Overrated 128<br /> <i>Steven Michels</i></p> <p>12 “Democracy Is So Overrated”: The Shortcomings of Popular Rule 141<br /> <i>Brendan Shea</i></p> <p>13 “Money Gives Power Well, a Run for Its Money”: Marx’s Observations on Why Capital and Not Frank Is Really in Charge of the White House 152<br /> <i>Chris Byron and Nathan Wood</i></p> <p>14 Freedom and Democracy in a House of Fear 163<b><br /> </b><i>Roberto Sirvent and Ian Diorio</i></p> <p><b>Part V Intrapersonal Relationships, Sexuality, and Race in House of Cards 173</b></p> <p>15 Under the Covers with the Underwoods: The Sexual Politics of the Underwood Marriage 175<br /> <i>Jason Southworth and Ruth Tallman</i></p> <p>16 The Spice of White Life: Freddy and Racist Representations 187<br /> <i>Stephanie Rivera Berruz</i></p> <p>17 Broken Friendships and the Pathology of Corporate Personhood in House of Cards 197<b><br /> </b><i>Myron Moses Jackson</i></p> <p><b>Part VI Existential Realities: Self-Love and Freedom 207</b></p> <p>18 Praying to One’s Self, for One’s Self: Frank’s Ethics and Politics of Autoeroticism 209<br /> <i>Kody W. Cooper</i></p> <p>19 Existential Freedom, Self-Interest, and Frank Underwood’s Underhandedness 219<b><br /> </b><i>J. Edward Hackett</i></p> <p><b>Part VII Let Me Be Frank with You: Agency, Aesthetics, and Intention 227</b></p> <p>20 Rooting for the Villain: Frank Underwood and the Lack of Imaginative Resistance 229<br /> <i>László Kajtár</i></p> <p>21 Frank Underwood’s Intentions 237<br /> <i>Angelica Kaufmann</i></p> <p>22 Francis Underwood’s Magical Political Mystery Tour Is Dying to Take You Away; Dying to Take You Away, Take You Today 245<b><br /> </b><i>Austin Dressen and Charles Taliaferro</i></p> <p><b>Part VII Virtue and Character in House of Cards 255</b></p> <p>23 Frank Underwood and the Virtue of Friendship 257<br /> <i>Katherine K. Johnson</i></p> <p>24 Have You No Decency? Who Is Worse, Claire or Frank? 265<b><br /> </b><i>Randall Auxier</i></p> <p>President Frank Underwood’s White House Staff (Contributors) 282</p> <p>Index 289 </p>

<p><b>J. Edward Hackett</b> is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Akron, as well as an Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Kent State University and John Carroll University. He is author of <i>Being and Value in Scheler: A Phenomenological Defense of Participatory Realism </i>(forthcoming) and co-editor of a forthcoming anthology, <i>Phenomenology for the 21^st Century</i>. He is a specialist in phenomenology and ethical theory, and works at the intersections of phenomenology, pragmatism, and analytic ethics.</p> <p><b>William Irwin</b> (series editor) is Herve A. LeBlanc Distinguished Service Professor and Chair of Philosophy at King’s College in Pennsylvania and is the author of<i> The Free Market Existentialist</i>. Irwin originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books with <i>Seinfeld and Philosophy</i> in 1999 and has overseen recent titles including <i>The Ultimate Daily Show and Philosophy</i>, <i>Game of Thrones and Philosophy</i>, and <i>Sons of Anarchy and Philosophy</i>.</p>

<p><b><i>Is Democracy overrated?</i></b></p> <p><b><i>Does power corrupt? Or do corrupt people seek power?</i></b></p> <p><b><i>Do corporate puppet masters pull politicians’ strings? </i></b></p> <p><b><i>Why does Frank talk to the camera? </i></b></p> <p><b><i>Can politics deliver on the promise of justice?</i></b></p> <p><i>House of Cards</i> depicts our worst fears about politics today. Love him or loathe him, Frank Underwood has charted an inimitable course through Washington politics. He and his cohorts depict the darkest dealings within the gleaming halls of our most revered political institutions.</p> <p>These 24 original essays examine key philosophical issues behind the critically-acclaimed series—questions of truth, justice, equality, opportunity, and privilege. The amoral machinations of Underwood, the ultimate anti-hero, serve as an ideal backdrop for a discussion of the political theories of philosophers as diverse as Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Marx. From political and corporate ethics, race relations, and ruthless paragmatism to mass media collusion and sexual politics, these essays tackle a range of issues important not only to the series but to our understanding of society today.</p>

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