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"Adventure Time and Philosophy" is a monster-beating, wild ride of
philosophical mayhem. One of the deepest and most thoughtful
television shows ever to assault human brain waves, "Adventure
Time" shows us what the world could be like, challenging everything
we know about life, meaning, heroism, and even burritos, and it's
time to give the show some serious thought. This book screws open
our cranial lids, mucks about in the mess that is our heads, and
attempts to come to some answers about the nature of reality.
"Adventure Time and Philosophy" is a chance to put down your
broadsword, put your exhausted monster-slaying feet up, and try to
figure out why you spend your time rescuing people in distress and
fighting for justice. Who better than Finn and Jake to have as
companions when taking on Plato, Nietzsche, and Baudrillard or
encountering the Slime Princess, the Ice King, and Marceline the
Vampire Queen? Filled with chapters written by a colorful cast of
characters, "Adventure Time and Philosophy" enlightens us about the
profound and life-affirming spiritual subtext and dark comedic
elements of an awesomely fantastic show.
Ever since it was first unleashed in 1818 the story of Victor
Frankenstein and his reanimated, stitched-together corpse has
inspired intense debate. Can organic life be reanimated using
electricity or genetic manipulation? If so, could Frankenstein's
monster really teach itself to read and speak as Mary Shelley
imagined? Do monsters have rights, or responsibilities to those who
would as soon kill them? What is it about music that so affects
Frankenstein's monster, or any of us? What does Mel Brook's Frau
Blucher say to contemporary eco-feminism? Why are some
Frankenstein's flops and others historic successes? Is there a true
Frankenstein? Why are children, but not adults, drawn to Shelley's
monster? And what is a "monster," anyway? Frankenstein and
Philosophy calls 25 philosophers to stitch together these and other
questions as they apply to history's greatest horror franchise.
Some chapters treat the Frankenstein films, others the original
novel, and yet others the many comic books, novels, and modern
adaptations. Together they pay tribute to perhaps the most enduring
pop culture icon and the fundamental fears, hopes, and puzzles it
raises.
In Dracula and Philosophy 24 nocturnal philosophers stake out and
vivisect Dracula from many angles. John C. Altmann decides whether
Dracula can really be blamed for his crimes, since it's his nature
as a vampire to behave a certain way. Robert Arp argues that
Dracula's addiction to live human blood dooms him to perpetual
frustration and misery. John V. Karavitis sees Dracula as a Randian
individual pitted against the Marxist collective. Greg Littmann
maintains that if we disapprove of Dracula's behavior, we ought to
be vegetarians. James Edwin Mahon uses the example of Dracula to
resolve nagging problems about the desirability of immortality.
Adam Barkman and Michael Versteeg ponder what it would really feel
like to be Dracula, and thereby shed some light on the nature of
consciousness. Robert Vuckovich looks at the sexual morality of
Dracula and other characters in the Dracula saga. Ariane de Waal
explains that "Dragula" is scary because every time this being
appears, it causes "gender trouble." And Cari Callis demonstrates
that the Count is really the Jungian Shadow archetype -- with added
Shapeshifter elements -- in the journey of Mina Harker,
heroine/victim of Stoker's novel, from silly girl to empowered
woman.
Iron Man or Captain America? Which one is superior—as a hero, as
a role model, or as a personification of American virtue?
Philosophers who take different sides come together in Iron Man
versus Captain America to debate these issues and arrive at a
deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of these
iconic characters. The discussion ranges over politics, religion,
ethics, psychology, and metaphysics. John Altmann argues that
Captain America’s thoughtful patriotism, is superior to Iron
Man’s individualist-cosmopolitanism. Matthew William Brake also
votes for Cap, maintaining that it’s his ability to believe in
the impossible that makes him a hero, and in the end, he is
vindicated. Cole Bowman investigates the nature of friendship
within the Avengers team, focusing predominantly on the political
and social implications of each side of the Civil War as the
Avengers are forced to choose between Stark and Rogers. According
to Derrida’s Politics of Friendship, Cap is the better friend,
but that doesn’t make him the winner! Aron Ericson’s chapter
tracks our heroes’ journeys in the movies, culminating with Civil
War, where the original attitudes of Tony (trusts only himself) and
Steve (trusts “the system”) are inverted. Corey Horn’s
chapter focuses on one of the many tensions between the sides of
Iron Man and Captain America—the side of Security (Iron Man)
versus Liberty (Cap). But Maxwell Henderson contends that if we dig
deeper into the true heart of the Marvel Civil War, it isn’t
really about security or privacy but more about
utilitarianism—what’s best for everybody. Henderson explains
why Iron Man was wrong about what was best for everybody and
discloses what the philosopher Derek Parfit has to say about
evaluating society from this perspective. Daniel Malloy explains
that while both Captain America and Iron Man have faced setbacks,
only Iron Man has failed at being a hero—and that makes him the
better hero! In his other chapter, Malloy shows that where Iron Man
trusts technology and systems, Captain America trusts people. Jacob
Thomas May explores loss from the two heroes’ points of view and
explains why the more tragic losses suffered by Stark clearly make
him the better hero and the better person. Louis Melancon unpacks
how Captain America and Iron Man each embodies key facets of
America attempts to wage wars: through attrition and the
prophylactic of technology; neither satisfactorily resolves
conflict and the cycle of violence continues. Clara Nisley tests
Captain America and Iron Man’s moral obligations to the Avengers
and their shared relationship, establishing Captain America’s
associative obligations that do not extend to the arbitration and
protection of humans that Iron Man advocates. Fernando Pagnoni
Berns considers that while Iron Man is too much attached to his
time (and the thinking that comes with it), Captain America
embraces-historical values, and thinks that there are such things
as intrinsic human dignity and rights—an ethical imperative.
Christophe Porot claims that the true difference between Captain
America and Iron Man stems from the different ways they extend
their minds. Cap extends his mind socially while Stark extends his
through technology. Heidi Samuelson argues that the true American
spirit isn't standing up to bullies, but comes out of the
self-interested traditions of liberal capitalism, which is why
billionaire, former-arms-industry-giant Tony Stark is ultimately a
more appropriate American symbol than Steve Rogers. By contrast,
Jeffrey Ewing shows that the core of Captain America: Civil War
centers on the challenge superpowers impose on state sovereignty
(and the monopoly of coercion it implies). Nicol Smith finds that
Cap and Shell-Head’s clash during the Civil War does not
necessarily boil down to the issue of freedom vs. regulation but
rather stems from the likelihood that both these iconic heroes are
political and ideological wannabe supreme rules or
“Leviathans.” Craig Van Pelt reconstructs a debate between
Captain America and Iron Man about whether robots can ever have
objective moral values, because human bias may influence the design
and programming. James Holt looks into the nature of God within
Captain America’s world and how much this draws on the
“previous life” of Captain Steve Rogers. Holt’s inquiry
focuses on the God of Moses in the burning bush, as contrasted with
David Hume’s understanding of religion. Gerald Browning examines
our two heroes in a comparison with the Greek gods Hephaestus and
Hercules. Christopher Ketcham supposes that, with the yellow
bustard wreaking havoc on Earth, God asks Thomas Aquinas to use his
logical process from Summa Theologica to figure which one of the
two superheroes would be better at fixing an economic meltdown, and
which one would be better at preventing a war. Rob Luzecky and
Charlene Elsby argue that gods cannot be heroes, and therefore that
the god-like members of the Avengers (Iron Man, with a god’s
intelligence; Thor, with a god’s strength, and the Hulk, with a
god’s wrath) are not true heroes in the same sense as Captain
America. Cap is like Albert Camus’s Sisyphus, heroic in the way
that he rallies against abstract entities like the gods and the
government.
Batman or Superman? Which of these heroic figures is morally
superior? Which is more dramatically effective? Which is more
democratic? Which shows us the better way to fight crime? In
Batman, Superman, and Philosophy, 26 philosophers evaluate Superman
vs. Batman in order to decide which of them "wins" by various
criteria. Since both Batman, the megalomaniacal industrialist, and
Superman, the darling of the media, sometimes operate outside the
law, which of them makes the better vigilante -- and how do they
compare with Robin Hood, the anonymous donor, the Ninja, and the
KKK? Which of them comes out better in terms of evolutionary
biology? Which of the heroes works more effectively to resist
oppression? Which one is better for the environment? Which of these
two makes a better model and inspiring myth to define our culture
and society? Is Batman or Superman the more admirable person? Who
conforms more closely to Nietzsche's Ubermensch? Who makes the
better god? Who is more self-sacrificing? Whose explicit code of
morality is superior? Which superhero gives us more satisfying
dramatic conflict? And why does a battle between the two make such
a compelling drama?
In Discworld, unlike our own frustrating Roundworld, everything
makes sense. The world is held up by elephants atop a swimming
turtle, the sun goes around the world every day, and things always
happen because someone intends them to happen. Millions of fans are
addicted to Pratchett's Discworld, and the interest has only
intensified since Pratchett's recent death and the release of his
final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, in September 2015. The
brave explorers of Discworld and Philosophy cover a lot of ground.
From discussion of Moist von Lipwig's con artistry showing the
essential con of the financial system to the examination of
everyone's favorite Discworld character -- the murderous luggage --
to what the lawless Mac Nac Feegles tell us about civil government,
Discworld and Philosophy gives an in-depth treatment of Pratchett's
magical universe. Other chapters examine the power of Discworld's
witches, the moral viewpoint of the golems, how William de Worde's
newspaper illuminates the issue of censorship, how fate and luck
interact to shape our lives, and why the more straightforward
Discworld characters are so much better at seeing the truth than
those with enormous intellects but little common sense.
Twenty-one philosophers investigate the implications of the
"Jurassic Park" franchise for our lives, our values, and our
future. Human beings live and thrive by modifying nature, but when
do the risks of changing nature outweigh the likely benefits? If
it's true that "Life will find a way," should we view any modified
or newly reconstituted life as a hazard? The new scientific
information we could gain by bringing back T. Rex or other
dinosaurs is immense, but should we choose to let sleeping
dinosaurs lie? And if we do bring them back by reconstituting them
from ancient DNA, are they really what they were, or is something
missing? How do the different forces -- human curiosity,
profitability, and philanthropy -- interact to determine what
actually happens in such cases? What moral standards should be
applied to those who try to bring back lost worlds? The idea of
bringing back the dead and the powerful is not limited to
biological species. It also applies to bringing back old gods, old
philosophies, old institutions, and old myths. If revived and once
again let loose to walk the Earth, these too may turn out to be
more dangerous than we bargained for.
Deadpool is the super-anti-hero who knows he's in a comic book. His
unique situation and blood-stained history give rise to many
philosophical puzzles. A group of philosophical Deadpool fans delve
into these puzzles in Deadpool and Philosophy. For instance, if you
know that someone is writing the script of your life, can you
really be a hero? Is Deadpool really Wade Wilson, or did Wilson
have his identity stolen by the monster who is now Deadpool? Are
his actions predetermined by the writers, or does he trick the
writers into scripting his choices? And what happens when Deadpool
breaks into the real world to kill the writers? What kind of
existence do literary characters have? How can we call him a moral
agent for good when he still commits murder left and right and then
left again and then right? Since Deadpool gets paid for his good
deeds, can they be truly heroic? And which of the many Deadpool
personalities are the real Deadpool? And of course, why does
Deadpool love to annoy Wolverine so much? Deadpool challenges us to
think outside the box. Deadpool and Philosophy shows us the
profound implications of this most contradictory and perplexing
comic book character.
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Jonathan Swift and Philosophy (Hardcover)
Janelle Poetzsch; Contributions by Michael Hauskeller, Chris A Kramer, Will Desmond, Steve Van-Hagen, …
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R3,653
Discovery Miles 36 530
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Jonathan Swift and Philosophy is the first book to analyse and
interpret Swift's writing from a philosophical angle. By placing
key texts of Swift in their philosophical and cultural contexts and
providing background to their history of ideas, it demonstrates how
well informed Swift's criticism of the politics, philosophy, and
science of his age actually was. Moreover, it also sets straight
preconceptions about Swift as ignorant about the scientific
developments of his time. The authors offer insights into, and
interpretations of, Swift's political philosophy, ethics, and his
philosophy of science and demonstrate how versatile a writer and
thinker Swift actually was. This book will be of interest to
scholars of philosophy, history of ideas, and 18th century
literature and culture.
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