Whistle Stopper - Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes

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Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 102.07 EAN: 9780810914933 ISBN: 081091493X Label: Abrams Image Manufacturer: Abrams Image Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 208 Publication Date: 2007-05-01 Publisher: Abrams Image Studio: Abrams Image
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Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: A light, engaging introduction to big ideas Comment: I purchased this book because I was considering using it as a supplemental text for an introduction to philosophy text for college freshman. The book does well to make some deep philosophical ideas accessible to readers unimmersed in western philosophy, and it does it in a most enjoyable way, Chapters are organized on the basis of different fields in philosophy (epistemology, ethics, religion, etc.). My wife, herself not naturally drawn to philosophy, laughed aloud at many of the jokes I recounted from the book. Ultimately my co-professor and I decided against using the book; some of the more off-color jokes made us move in another direction. Nevertheless, I consider this book a nice addition to the library of any reader who is curious about the philosophical life. Customer Rating: Summary: What sounds like a great idea, fizzles in the execution... Comment: I loved the idea of this book when it was first pitched by my book club. Perhaps I set my expectations too high, because I was somewhat disappointed when I read the book. The basic problem is that in the end, despite conceptual similarities, the jokes get in the way of the philosophy, and vice versa. The treatment of philosophical subjects is both discontinuous and somewhat superficial, due to the need to insert a joke every couple of paragraphs, and the need to focus on only those ideas which can be linked to this joke. The net result is a little bit like reading a book that is missing a page every now and then... transitions from topic to topic are not very smooth and the discussion seems incomplete somehow. Similarly, the choice of jokes is hampered by the need to pick jokes that actually relate to the philosophical concept at hand (as opposed to picking jokes based on freshness and humor alone). About 50% of the jokes in the book I had already read or heard, before I ever picked up this book... On the positive side, this book is short, and very easy to read. It is quite entertaining, and even thought-provoking in a few places. People who already have enough knowledge of philosophy to fill in the gaps will probably enjoy this book most. Current students of philosphy might find it quite hilarious... On the other hand, this is probably not the funniest book you will read this year (I hope!). And it certainly is not a recommended overview of philosphical thought, even for the most casual learner. If you go in with either of those expectations, you will probably be disappointed like I was... Customer Rating: Summary: Great concept, mediocre execution Comment: I love the idea, and it's not a bad book, but it's not as hilarious or as illuminating as I'd expected. Maybe the problem is that I know too many scholars who are really funny, so my standards were set pretty high. It's an enjoyable read and a completely painless introduction to philosophy, though, so if you're interested at all, it's probably worth buying. And as you see from the other reviewers, lots of people found it marvelous. I found it good, but not marvelous. Customer Rating: Summary: Entertaining, but disappointing Comment: This is an entertaining little book that is a quick, funny read. The authors' premise-- that it's possible to explicate most philosophical principles by telling jokes-- is a clever idea. Their tone is just right for the book, too. Unfortunately, in the end the entertainment is really all that there is in the book. It doesn't offer even a superficial survey of basic philosophy. It seems to me that whenever the authors had to decide how to approach some philosophical point they were going to discuss, they always opted to include another joke or two, as opposed to some solid explanation. I actually liked quite a few of the jokes, though there were a lot of duds, too. Further, the authors clearly wanted to produce a short book, and that led to shallow treatments of many points. It isn't that I disliked the book. To the contrary, I actually enjoyed reading it. However, it was a disappointment, because it seems to me they missed a golden opportunity to do something really unusual and special. Many-- OK, almost all-- books about philosophy are intended for people who already have some background, and they're generally pretty dry. By using humor the way they did, the authors could have written the book that bridged the gap between philosophy majors and "regular" people. But they didn't quite do the job. In summary, it's a likable, entertaining book with a great premise. But the authors just didn't pull it off as well as they could have-- or should have. Customer Rating: Summary: The Best philosophy book ever Comment: What a relief to read a Philosophy book that one can actually understand. Giving the basic concepts thru the telling of jokes is brilliant, especially for the English reader. They carry meaning like parables. I appreciated their neutrality about the different schools of thought, even philosophy of religion. This book will be a great aid to students slogging through Philosophy 101, better than Coles notes. More Reviews
Editorial Reviews: Here’s a lively, hilarious, not-so-reverent crash course through the great philosophical traditions, schools, concepts, and thinkers. It’s Philosophy 101 for everyone who knows not to take all this heavy stuff too seriously. Some of the Big Ideas are Existentialism (what do Hegel and Bette Midler have in common?), Philosophy of Language (how to express what it’s like being stranded on a desert island with Halle Berry), Feminist Philosophy (why, in the end, a man is always a man), and much more. Finally—it all makes sense! “I laughed, I learned, I loved it!” Roy Blount Jr.