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Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates: Using Philosophy (and Jokes!) to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife, and Everything in Between [Hardcover]

Thomas Cathcart , Daniel Klein
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)


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Book Description

October 20, 2009
From the authors of the bestselling Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar, an uproarious new book on the meaning of death (and life, too)

The new book by the bestselling authors of Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar is a hilarious take on the philosophy, theology, and psychology of mortality and immortality. That is, Death. The authors pry open the coffin lid on this one, looking at the Big D and also its prequel, Life, and its sequel, the Hereafter. Philosophers such as Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Camus, and Sartre have been wrestling with the meaning of death for as long as they have been wrestling with the meaning of life. Fortunately, humorists have been keeping pace with the major thinkers by creating gags about dying. Death’s funny that way—it gets everybody’s attention.

Death has gotten a bad rap. It’s time to take a closer look at what the Deep Thinkers have to say on the subject, and there are no better guides than Cathcart and Klein.



Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Did you know that Heidegger's notion of living in the shadow of death has its most profound articulation in a country and western song by Tim McGraw? Or what Law and Order has in common with theologian Paul Tillich's view of eternity? Such are the nuggets of wisdom found in this smart and lighthearted consideration of the philosophical dimensions of death. Cathcart and Klein (coauthors of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar) take readers on a whirlwind tour of anthropological, philosophical and theological theories of why and how we avoid accepting our own mortality. The authors demonstrate how humor allows us to express our fears about death while defusing anxiety. Succinct accounts of Kierkegaard's notion of embracing angst, Schopenhauer's notion of undying will and Descartes on mind-body dualism are thus all peppered by comic asides (Leibnitz maintained that Mind and Matter don't actually get into each others knickers). This little book is an entertaining and surprisingly informative survey of the Big D and its centrality in human life. (Oct).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"This little book is an entertaining and surprisingly informative survey of the 'Big D' and its centrality in human life." -- Publishers Weekly

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (October 20, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0670020834
  • ISBN-13: 978-0670020836
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.9 x 7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #605,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

It's a quick, fun read especially for anyone interested in philosophy. Carol Toscano  |  12 reviewers made a similar statement
The book is a very good survey of death and dying philosophy. Robert J. Conway  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and Helpful August 28, 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
"Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates" is a surprisingly funny and nuanced view of the meaning of life, with special emphasis on the views of classical philosophers. The format will be familiar to those that have read Cathcart and Klein's "Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar" -- some serious philosophy, a good joke or two, and a series of delightful cartoons on relevant topics.

Surprisingly supported by the jokes and cartoons, the authors carefully consider some serious philosophical issues while clearly explaining background concepts. I was a Philosophy major in college many years ago, and it was delightful to see how easily the authors clearly explained some rather difficult concepts in Existentialism, classic philosophy (Plato and Aristotle), depth psychology (Freud and Jung), Buddhism, religion, and cybernetics as they explored issues like the survival of personality after death, the existence of heaven and hell, and the meaning of life.

There's a lot to learn from this book but it never feels dull or academic. Perhaps my only criticism is the repeated use of nicknames for famous philosophers. The first time Martin Heidegger is referred to as "Marty" is mildly amusing, but it quickly becomes tiresome as the gag is repeated many times. On the plus side, they quote Woody Allen often.

All in all, a refreshing and vigorous example of the best use of philosophy as a means to clarify thinking and beliefs. Highly recommended.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Cartoons Are Killers! October 16, 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I have several relatives in the "very old" generation and they're dropping like flies. As a result, I have tried to brush up on my ability to converse easily with those who have almost finished their bucket list. My particular approach is to minimize the religious and maximize the use of humor. Some of them have fallen hard enough for the threats about "the other place" and I feel it is my job to reassure them that they'll at least be well-remembered. So far, this book is my best resource.

You're in luck if you would like to be knowledgable about the great philosophers who addressed death but reading about them puts you to sleep. They're all here, interspersed with hilarious cartoons and correctly presented by the authors. The format of the book lends itself well to painless learning.

If you are approaching the finish line yourself, let me provide for you the recommendation of Mark Twain. I had read it before, but this book presents it again: "When approaching the Pearley Gates, leave your dog behind. If entrance were based on merit, he would be admitted and you would be left behind."

DB
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
My guess is that over time this review will be buried six feet underneath a heaping pile of other positive reviews, but Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein deliver big on death and dying in their educational and uproarious book Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates.

Cathcart and Klein try to explain the philosophical and theological underpinnings of death and dying to the lay person. It is a book for those of us who have a deep desire to contemplate the meaning of our existence, but are not quite able to see the light through the opaque language of the philosophers. Cathcart and Klein are able to simplify these complex concepts and make them understandable to the average guy. By giving us concrete examples to illustrate the concepts and infusing all this with humor, the book never drags. It remains interesting, funny, incredibly readable, and edutaining.

And speaking of edutainment, the book is written like Sesame Street for adults. There is always a lot going on. Like Plato, who illustrated his philosophy by writing dialogs, Cathcart and Klein write their book as a dialoge. So instead of Socrates speaking with various Athenians, Cathcart and Klein write an irreverent dialogue between themselves and their `neighbor' Daryl. The authors illustrate the concepts as answers to fundamental questions posed by Daryl. Interspersed with this are jokes that illustrate the concepts discussed. If that weren't enough, the book also contains a huge number of cartoons (possibly from the New Yorker or at very least in that style) that further illustrate the concepts and numerous humorous quotations to round everything out. In the hands of some authors this kind of juggling might become confusing, but in the hands of Cathcart and Klein, the four kinds of narrative all come together and really enhance understanding. The humor really helps here. Not only does it keep the reader entertained but keeps an otherwise morbid subject matter from becoming tiresome. In an odd way, the humor keeps the book about death alive.

As for the caveats, this book covers a lot of introductory material, but it is still introductory. Dabblers such as me will find this entertaining and interesting, but anyone who really wants to plumb to the depths of philosophy will be disappointed. All the high concepts are there for the lay person, but this is not an advanced philosophy text. Moreover, the authors don't stick with any one concept long enough to explore it thoroughly. This did not bother me, as the book is really supposed to be an introduction to these concepts, but might frustrate someone who wants a little more than the book was designed to deliver.

As to the humor, you may recognize some very, very old jokes. But Cathcart and Klein really do use the jokes to illustrate concepts and they have a knack for retelling the jokes rather well. Some of the jokes bombed with me, but they come in rapid succession. So even though it can be hit or miss, there are enough hits to keep the laughter going. Just to forewarn, some of the jokes are politically incorrect, but the authors seem to pick on women and men equally so my guess is that no one will get too offended.

All an all, a joyous romp through the valley of the shadow of death and the afterlife. It's hard to imagine a book like that, but here it is.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars A readable way to understand philosophy superficially
The authors are to be commended for trying to present a difficult subject in an interesting and readable way, Their topic is death and what philosophers have had to say about it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by John Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars death.laugh/
so what's to laugh about?? Death - !!!
I've been helped into " old age" by
Daniel Klein in Travels With Epicurus -
and now he's given me some laughs
about will... Read more
Published 1 month ago by newday
3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, but not particularly rigorous
I think I may have been going into this book expecting something a bit more robust, with citations and the like. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Matthew T. Weflen
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as their other volume.
Not as good as their other volume. The Plato book was a hoot and instructive, as intended; this one isn't as funny or as interesting philosophically.
Published 4 months ago by Douglas Ginsburg
3.0 out of 5 stars Lighthearted and informative.
I loved "Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar" by the same authors, so I was very excited when this one came out. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jennifer Buchanan
1.0 out of 5 stars m'nah
Rambling jokes about death - some funny, some not - but none really illuminating in terms of actual philosophy... or actual death. Read more
Published 9 months ago by MonkeyDog
4.0 out of 5 stars Death. Take A Bow. And Laugh While You Do
I found this to be an absolutely delightful book. This is not heavy reading, but it does indeed take you through a light hearted journey in the issues and thoughts and practices... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Rajiv Chopra
3.0 out of 5 stars Weakest of the 3
Seemingly rich in possibilities, this is the weakest of the 3 Philosophical treatises that Cathcart and Klein have written. Nothing stands out and the jokes weren't that funny. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Lisa Meyers
1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth your time
A verbose, long-winded, and aimless trip down word lane.

This book contains no central argument, and the authors put forth no original theory. Read more
Published 21 months ago by J. Glazer
4.0 out of 5 stars very good
I bought the book for my boyfriend and he loves it! He shares the jokes to me and they are really funny!
Published on April 16, 2011 by trisha
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