Can Wonder Woman help us understand feminist philosophy? How Does Wakandan technology transcend anti-Blackness? What can Star Trek teach us about the true nature of reality?

Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culturemakes important philosophical concepts and the work of major philosophers relevant, fun, and exciting. Using engaging examples from film and television, this easy-to-read book covers everything from basic metaphysics and epistemology to abstract and complex philosophical ideas about ethics and the meaning of life. You dont have to be a pop culture expert to benefit from this bookeven a general awareness of cultural icons like Superman or Harry Potter will be more than enough for you to learn about a wide range of philosophical notions, thinkers, and movements.

The expanded second edition offers timely coverage of important topics such as race, gender, personal identity, social justice, and environmental ethics. New essays explore the philosophical underpinnings ofThe Good Place, Game of Thrones, Black Panther, Star Wars, The Avengers, South Park, The Lego Movie, The Big Bang Theory, and more. This edition is supported by a new website with links to primary philosophical texts, information about all the popular culture discussed, and additional resources for teachers, students, and general readers alike.

Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Cultureis an excellent supplementary textbook for introductory philos for introductory philosophy courses and a valuable resource for general readers wanting to learn about philosophy and its connections with pop culture.

WILLIAM IRWINis a Professor of Philosophy at Kings College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He originated the philosophy and pop culture genre of books withSeinfeld and Philosophy in 1999. He is General Editor of theBlackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series and the author ofThe Meaning of Metallica: Ride the Lyrics.

DAVID KYLE JOHNSONis a Professor of Philosophy at Kings College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He is Editor ofInception and Philosophy andBlack Mirror and Philosophy, and is Editor-in-Chief ofThe Palgrave Handbook of Popular Culture as Philosophy.

Notes on Contributors xi

Acknowledgments xvii

Sources xix

Introduction 1

Part I: What is Philosophy? 3

Socrates and the Spirit of Philosophy

1 Flatulence and Philosophy: A Lot of Hot Air, or the Corruption of Youth? 5William W. Young, III

Logic and Fallacies

2 The Chewbacca Defense:A South ParkLogic Lesson 14Robert Arp

Relativism and Truth

3 Wikiality, Truthiness, and Gut Thinking: Doing Philosophy Colbert Style 23David Kyle Johnson

Part II: Epistemology 35

Introduction 35

The Ethics of Belief

4 You Know, I Learned Something Today: Stan Marsh and the Ethics of Belief 37Henry Jacoby

Skepticism

5 Tumbling Down the Rabbit Hole: Knowledge, Reality, and the Pit of Skepticism 44Matt Lawrence

Definition of Knowledge

6 Adama's True Lie: Earth and the Problem of Knowledge 54Eric J. Silverman

7 Wakandan Resources: The Epistemological Reality ofBlack Panthers Fiction 62Ruby Komic

Part III: Metaphysics 71

Introduction 71

The Nature of Reality

8 Life on a Holodeck: WhatStar TrekCan Teach Us About the True Nature of Reality 73Dara Fogel

Mind and Body

9 Astral Bodies and Cartesian Souls: MindBody Dualism inDoctor Strange82Dean A. Kowalski

10 Mind and Body in Zion 90Matt Lawrence

Personal Identity

11 Amnesia, Personal Identity, and the Many Lives of Wolverine 101Jason Southworth

Freedom and Determinism

12 The Consolation of Bilbo: Providence and Free Will in Middle-Earth 107Grant Sterling

13 Inception and Free Will: Are They Compatible? 115John R. Fitzpatrick and David Kyle Johnson

Consciousness and Artificial Intelligence

14 Turing's Dream and Searle's Nightmare inWestworld123Lucia Carrillo González

15 What is it Like to Be a Host? 128Bradley Richards

Time Travel

16 The Time Travel inAvengers: Endgame136David Kyle Johnson

Part IV: Philosophy of Religion 145

Introduction 145

The Problem of Evil

17South Park,Cartmanland, and the Problem of Evil 147David Kyle Johnson

The Existence of God

18 Hidden Mickeys and the Hiddenness of God 156Robert K. Garcia and Timothy Pickavance

Faith

19 The Jedi Knights of Faith: Anakin, Luke, and Soren (Kierkegaard) 164William A. Lindenmuth

Part V: Ethics 173

Introduction 173

Utilitarianism and Deontology

20 Why Doesn't Batman Kill the Joker? 175Mark D. White

21 Means, Ends, and the Critique of Pure Superheroes 183J. Robert Loftis

Virtue Ethics

22 Can Eleanor Really Become a Better Person? (The Good Place) 191Eric J. Silverman and Zachary Swanson

Friendship

23 "You're a Sucky, Sucky Friend": Seeking Aristotelian Friendship inThe Big Bang Theory198Dean A. Kowalski

Stoicism

24 "You Are Asking Me to Be Rational": Stoic Philosophy and the Jedi Order 207Matt Hummel

Part VI: Challenges to Traditional Ethics 215

Introduction 215

Nietzschean Critique

25 Rediscovering Nietzsche's Ubermensch in Superman as a Heroic Ideal 217Arno Bogaerts

Existentialist Ethics

26 Knowing Who You Are: Existence Precedes Essence inMoana228William J. Devlin

Feminist Critique

27 Becoming a (Wonder) Woman: Feminism, Nationalism, and the Ambiguity of Female Identity 236J. Lenore Wright

28 The Silence of Our Mother: Eywa as the Voice of Feminine Care Ethics (Avatar) 245George A. Dunn and Nicolas Michaud

Environmental Ethics

29 "Everything Is Backwards Now":Avatar,Anthropocentrism, and Relational Reason 253Jeremy David Bendik-Keymer

Part VII: Social and Political Philosophy 263

Introduction 263

Social Contract Theory

30 Maester Hobbes Goes to King's Landing (Game of Thrones) 265Greg Littmann

31Lost's State of Nature 273Richard Davies

Marxism

32 Federation Trekonomics: Marx, the Federation, and the Shift from Necessity to Freedom 284Jeff Ewing

Rawls

33 Superman and Justice 292Christopher Robichaud

Libertarianism

34 Cartman Shrugged:South Parkand Libertarian Philosophy 299Paul A. Cantor

Race

35 Ninjas, Kobe Bryant, and Yellow Plastic: The LEGO Minifigure and Race 311Roy T. Cook

36 When Tech Meets Tradition: How Wakandan Technology Transcends Anti-Blackness 321Timothy E. Brown

Political Manipulation

37Black Mirrorand Political Manipulation: How Are We Tricked into Dehumanizing Others? 329Bertha Alvarez Manninen

The #MeToo Movement

38Black Mirrorand #DeathTo: What Are the Consequences of Trial by Twitter? 338Aline Maya

Part VIII: Eastern Views 349

Introduction 349

39 The Brick, the Plate, and the Uncarved Block: LEGO as an Expression of theDao351Steve Bein

40 LEGO, Impermanence, and Buddhism 359David Kahn

41 Zen and the Art of Imagineering: Disney's Escapism Versus Buddhism's Liberation 367Steve Bein

Part IX: The Afterlife and Meaning 375

Introduction 375

An Afterlife Gives Meaning

42 Beyond Godric's Hollow: Life After Death and the Search for Meaning (Harry Potter) 377Jonathan L. Walls and Jerry L. Walls

An Afterlife Wouldn't Give Meaning

43 Why it Wouldn't be Rational to Believe You're in The Good Place (and Why You Wouldn't Want to Be Anyway) 384David Kyle Johnson

Index 393