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The Simpsons and Philosophy
The D'oh! of Homer
Popular Culture and Philosophy, Volume 02
Edited by William Irwin, Mark T. Conard, and Aeon J. Skoble
a.b.e-book v3.0 / Notes at EOF
(Annotations appear at the end of each essay)
Back Cover:
No less an authority than Homer Simpson himself has declared: "Cartoons don't
have any deep meaning. They're just stupid drawings that give you a cheaplaugh."
Don't have a cow, man. Here comes a squadron of erudite scholars with the guts to
challenge even Homer's pessimistic view of his family's historic plight.
Does Homer Simpson really exhibit Aristotelian virtues? Can we learn from
Maggie about the value of silence? Is Bart the kind of individual Nietzsche was trying to
warn us about? How does Lisa illuminate American ambivalence towardintellectuals?
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.
Now that we have The Simpsons and Philosophy, we can all rub ourhands together
and say, in a slow, sinister, breathy voice: "Excellent. . ."
"Most scholars of mass art hold themselves at a distance from their subject. The authors in
this volume really immerse themselves in The Simpsons, and the result is this absolutely
unique book. Go for it!" -- Professor David Carrier, Carnegie Mellon University
"Bill Irwin and his colleagues have done it again: they haveproduced a terrific volume. Not
only is The Simpsons and Philosophy highly educational, it enhances the viewing and
re-viewing of the Simpsons episodes, and sheds a new light on the series." -- Professor Per
Broman, Butler University, Indianapolis
"What a great book! The chapters are by turns fun, profound, and instructive. I recommend
it to everyone, whether already a Simpsons fan or not.You'll be surprised at what wisdom
lurks in these pages." -- Tom Morris, Author of If Aristotle Ran General Motors
"The Simpsons and Philosophy is a great place to begin any program in Simpsons studies.
A serious look at a funny subject." -- Mark I. Pinsky, Author of The Gospel According to
The Simpsons
William Irwin, Mark T. Canard, and Aeon J. Skoble all contributed to Seinfeld andPhilosophy (2000), which Irwin edited. Irwin is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at
King's College, Pennsylvania, and author of Intentionalist Interpretation (1999). Dr.
Conard has published scholarly articles on Kant, Nietzsche, and Quentin Tarantino. Dr.
Skoble teaches philosophy at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and has co-edited
Political Philosophy: Essential Selections (1999).
PopularCulture and Philosophy
General Editor: William Irwin
Volume 01
Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (2000)
Edited by William Irwin
Volume 02
The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer (2001)
Edited by William Irwin, Mark T. Conard, and Aeon J. Skoble
Volume 03
The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (2002)
Edited by William Irwin
InPreparation:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy (2003)
Edited by James B. South
The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy (2003)
Edited by Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson
Woody Allen and Philosophy (2004)
Edited by Mark T. Conard and Aeon J. Skoble
Volume 2 in the series, Popular Culture and Philosophy
To order books from Open Court, call toll free 1-800-815-2280.
Chapter 11 was originallypublished in Political Theory 27 (1999),
pp. 734-749, and is reprinted here by permission of the author
and Sage Publications, Inc.
Cover image of The Simpsons © 2001 by Bongo Entertainment, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. The Simpsons © and ® Twentieth Century Fox
Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Open Court Publishing Company is a division of Carus Publishing Company.
Copyright © 2001 by...