SpongeBob SquarePants and Philosophy is designed to introduce fans
of SpongeBob SquarePants to some of the great thinkers and
questions in philosophy. The essays can be shared by young and old
alike, kindling new interest in philosophy and life's big
questions. What keeps SpongeBob "reeling in" major audiences on a
daily basis is that underneath the lighthearted and whimsical
exterior are the seeds of long-standing and important philosophical
discussions about identity and the self, our obligations toward
others, benefits and tensions of the individual in community,
principles of the marketplace and environmental ethics, and
questions of just how exactly Jack Kahuna Laguna can build a fire
at the bottom of the ocean. (Okay, so perhaps we don't have an
answer for that last one, but maybe if you look into that fire long
enough the answer will be revealed.) The book begins with a section
exploration of the major characters of the series. To begin, Nicole
Pramik uses the philosophies of Aristotle to demonstrate why
SpongeBob, more than any other character in the series, is defined
by a life of well-being and flourishing. In chapter two, Timothy
Dunn provides an assessment of SpongeBob's best friend, Patrick
Star, using the writings of J.S. Mill to ask if the life of simple
pleasures preferable to the life of the mind, while in chapter
three Natasha Liebig uses the German pessimist philosophers to
reveal what it means to live the life of Squidward Q. Tentacles.
Chapter four uses the competing philosophies of Ayn Rand and Karl
Marx to evaluate the actions of SpongeBob's boss, Mr. Eugene Krabs,
while in chapter five Denise Du Vernay explains how Sandy Cheeks
offers a brand of feminism that breaks down traditional assumptions
about masculine and feminine identity and repackages them into
constructive and empowering messages for young people. Concluding
this section of the book, Nicholas Michaud uses the philosophy of
Friedrich Nietzsche to ask us reconsider our belief that SpongeBob
and his friends are somehow heroic by giving us insight into the
"will to power" held by the powerful little protozoan, Plankton.
Section two of the book is dedicated to exploring the community of
Bikini Bottom, starting with Shaun Young's examination of Bikini
Bottom as a representation of various theories of the just state.
In chapter eight, Nathan Zook looks into whether we might learn
something about theories of democracy and political participation
from an election between SpongeBob and Squidward for "Royal
Krabby," while in chapter nine Adam Barkman uses the writings of
Dante Alighieri to assess the monarchal rule of King Neptune.
Chapter ten uses the legal philosophies of thinkers like Thomas
Hobbes, John Locke, John Rawls, and David Hume to answer whether
Mr. Krabs has the proper philosophical basis upon which to claim an
individual right to possess and profit from the secret Krabby Patty
formula. Chapter eleven then takes us to the pristine Jellyfish
Fields where Greg Ahrenhoerster uses literary naturalism and the
works of transcendentalist thinkers to examine environmental ethics
and an individual's obligations to shared resources. The third and
final section uses SpongeBob to explore psychological and
scientific questions that float around under the sea. In chapter
twelve, Katie Anderson uses the episode "Sleepy Time" to explore
Cartesian principles related to the philosophical questions that
attempt to distinguish between dreams and reality, and in chapter
thirteen Robert Kincaid continues the examination into
philosophical issues related to the mind by using SpongeBob,
Squidward, and Patrick to relate the theories of Sigmund Freud.
Chapter fourteen is dedicated to an introduction into the
philosophy of science by Wilson Gonzalez-Espada, and Robert
Vuckovich concludes the volume with an essay on SpongeBob's
insatiable thirst for knowledge in the episode "The Secret Box."
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