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Introduction. <p>How to Use this Book in a Philosophy Course.</p> <p><b>Part I. What is Philosophy?</b></p> <p><i>Section Introduction.</i></p> <p><i>Socrates and the Spirit of Philosophy<br /> </i>1. Flatulence and Philosophy: A Lot of Hot Air, or the Corruption of the Youth? (<i>William W. Young III</i>).</p> <p><i>Logic and Fallacies</i><br /> 2. The Chewbacca Defense: A <i>South Park</i> Logic Lesson (<i>Robert Arp</i>).</p> <p><i>Relativism and Truth</i><br /> 3. Wikiality, Truthiness, and Gut Thinking: Doing Philosophy Colbert-Style (<i>David Kyle Johnson</i>). </p> <p><b>Part II. Epistemology.</b></p> <p><i>Section Introduction.</i></p> <p><i>The Ethics of Belief</i><br /> 4. You Know, I learned Something Today: Stan Marsh and the Ethics of Belief (<i>Henry Jacoby</i>).</p> <p><i>Skepticism</i><br /> 5. Tumbling Down the Rabbit Hole: Knowledge, Reality, and the Pit of Skepticism (<i>Matt Lawrence</i>).</p> <p><i>The Definition of Knowledge, the Gettier Problem, and the Ethics of Belief</i><br /> 6. Adama's True Lie: Earth and the Problem of Knowledge <i>(Eric J. Silverman</i>).</p> <p><b>Part III. Metaphysics.</b></p> <p><i>Section Introduction.</i></p> <p><i>Philosophy of Mind</i><br /> 7. Mind and Body in Zion (<i>Matt Lawrence</i>).</p> <p><i>Personal Identity<br /> </i>8. The Many Lives of Wolverine: Memory and Personal Identity <i>(Jason Southworth</i>).</p> <p><i>Freedom and Determinism</i><br /> 9. Destiny in the Wizarding World (<i>Jeremy Pierce</i>).</p> <p><i>Artificial Intelligence, The Turing Test, and the Chinese Room</i><br /> 10. The Terminator Wins: Is the Extinction of the Human Race the End of People, or Just the Beginning? (<i>Greg Littmann</i>).</p> <p><b>Part IV. Philosophy of Religion.</b></p> <p><i>Section Introduction.</i></p> <p><i>The Problem of Evil</i><br /> 11. Cartmanland and the Problem of Evil (<i>David Kyle Johnson</i>).</p> <p><i>Faith Seeking Understanding</i><br /> 12. Aquinas and Rose on Faith and Reason (<i>Daniel B. Gallagher</i>).</p> <p><i>Arguments for the Existence of God</i><br /> 13. "I Am an Instrument of God": Religious Belief, Atheism, and Meaning (<i>Jason T. Eberl and Jennifer A. Vines</i>).</p> <p><b>Part V. Ethics.</b></p> <p><i>Section Introduction.</i></p> <p><i>Why Be Moral?</i><br /> 14. Plato on Gyges' Ring of Invisibility: The Power of <i>Heroes</i> and the Value of Virtue (<i>Don Adams</i>).</p> <p><i>Virtue Ethics</i><br /> 15. The Virtues of Humor: What <i>The Office</i> Can Teach Us About Aristotle's Ethics (<i>Sean McAleer</i>).</p> <p><i>Utilitarianism and Deontology</i><br /> 16. Why Doesn’t Batman Kill the Joker? (<i>Mark D. White</i>).</p> <p>17. Means, Ends, and the Critique of Pure Superheroes (<i>J. Robert Loftis</i>).</p> <p><b>Part VI. Challenges to Traditional Ethics.</b></p> <p><i>Section Introduction.</i></p> <p><i>Nietzschean and Marxist Critique</i><br /> 18. Metallica, Nietzsche, and Marx: The Immorality of Morality (<i>Peter S. Fosl</i>).</p> <p>19. When Machines Get Souls: Nietzsche on the Cylon Uprising (<i>Robert Sharp</i>).</p> <p><i>Existentialist Ethics</i><br /> 20. Being-in-<i>The Office</i>: Sartre, the Look, and the Viewer (<i>Matthew Meyer and Greg Schneider</i>).</p> <p>21. Batman’s Confrontation with Death, Angst, and Freedom (<i>David M. Hart</i>).</p> <p><i>Feminist Critique</i><br /> 22. “You care for everybody”: Cameron’s Ethics of Care (<i>Renee Kyle</i>).</p> <p>23. Vampire Love: The Second Sex Negotiates the 21^st Century (<i>Bonnie Mann</i>).</p> <p>24. <i>Postmodern Critique</i><br /> Killing the Griffins: A Murderous Exposition of Postmodernism (<i>J. Jeremy Wisnewski</i>).</p> <p><b>Part VII. Social and Political Philosophy.</b></p> <p><i>Section Introduction.</i></p> <p><i>Social Contract Theory</i><br /> 25. <i>Lost'</i>s State of Nature (<i>Richard Davies</i>).</p> <p><i>Marxism</i><br /> 26. Laughter between Distraction and Awakening: Marxist Themes in <i>The Office</i> (<i>Michael Bray</i>).</p> <p><i>Torture</i><br /> 27. The Ethics of Torture in <i>24</i>: Shockingly Banal <i>(Dónal P. O’Mathúna</i>).</p> <p><i>Race</i><br /> 28. Mutants and the Metaphysics of Race (<i>Jeremy Pierce</i>).</p> <p><b>Part VIII. Eastern Views.</b></p> <p><i>Section Introduction.</i></p> <p>29. Zen and the Art of Cylon Maintenance (<i>James McRae</i>).</p> <p>30. The Sound of One House Clapping: The Unmannerly Doctor as Zen Rhetorician (<i>Jeffrey C. Ruff and Jeremy Barris</i>).</p> <p>31. The Tao of the Bat (<i>Mark D. White</i>).</p> <p><b>Part IX. The Meaning of Life.</b></p> <p><i>Section Introduction.</i></p> <p>32. <i>The Theistic View</i><br /> Beyond Godric’s Hollow: Life after Death and the Search for Meaning (<i>Jonathan L. Walls and Jerry L. Walls</i>).</p> <p>33. <i>The Socratic View</i><br /> Selfish, Base Animals Crawling Across the Earth: House and the Meaning of Life (<i>Henry Jacoby</i>).</p> <p>Glossary.</p> <p>Notes on Contributors.</p> <p>Sources.</p> <p>Index.</p>

<b>William Irwin</b> 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 <i>Philosophy and Literature</i> and <i>The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism</i>, Irwin originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books with <i>Seinfeld and Philosophy</i> in 1999. Irwin has also co-edited <i>The Simpsons and Philosophy</i> and edited <i>The Matrix and Philosophy</i> and <i>Metallica and Philosophy</i>. He is currently the General Editor of the Blackwell <i>Philosophy and Pop Culture</i> series. <p><b>David Kyle Johnson</b> is assistant professor of Philosophy at King’s College in Pennsylvania. In addition to his scholarly work on philosophy of religion<i>,</i> Johnson has edited <i>Heroes and Philosophy</i> and is also a contributor to the Blackwell <i>Philosophy and Pop Culture</i> series, having written chapters on <i>South Park, Family Guy</i>, <i>The Office, Battlestar Galactica</i>, and <i>Batman</i>. Johnson hosts a podcast on Pop Culture and Philosophy at www.philosophyandpopculture.com.</p>

What can <i>South Park</i> tell us about Socrates and the nature of evil? How does <i>The Office</i> help us to understand Sartre and existentialist ethics? Can <i>Battlestar Galactica</i> shed light on the existence of God? <p><i>Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture</i> uses popular culture to illustrate important philosophical concepts and the work of the major philosophers. With examples from film, television, and music including <i>South Park</i>, <i>House</i>,<i>M.D.</i>, <i>The Matrix</i>, <i>X-Men</i>, <i>Batman</i>, <i>Harry Potter, Metallica</i> and <i>Lost,</i> even the most abstract and complex philosophical ideas become easier to grasp.</p> <p>This unique textbook, featuring essays from the Blackwell <i>Philosophy and Pop Culture</i> series, is perfect for any introduction to philosophy course. From metaphysics to epistemology; from ethics to the meaning of life, <i>Introducing Philosophy through Pop Culture</i> makes philosophy as engaging as popular culture itself.</p>

"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 teachers of philosophy. Enjoy!"<br /> —<b>David Carrier</b>, Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Institute of Art

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