Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing [Paperback]

William Irwin (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Popular Culture and Philosophy | Publication Date: August 20, 1999

Designed for philosophers as well as readers with no particular philosophical background, the essays in this lively book are grouped into four amusing acts. Act One looks at the four Seinfeld characters through a philosophical lens and includes Jerry and Socrates: The Examined Life? Act Two examines historical philosophers from a Seinfeldian standpoint and offers Plato or Nietzsche? Time, Essence, and Eternal Recurrence in Seinfeld. Act Three, Untimely Meditations by the Water Cooler, explores philosophical issues raised by the show, such as, Is it rational for George to do the opposite? And Act Four, Is There Anything Wrong with That?, discusses ethical problems of everyday life using Seinfeld as a basis. Seinfeld and Philosophy also provides a guide to Seinfeld episodes and a chronological list of the philosophers cited in this book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Brilliant. . . nicely illustrates how the comic can illuminate the profound. -- Ray Perkins, author of Logic and Mr. Limbaugh

Here is the answer to the prayers of Seinfeld aficionados who love philosophy and philosophy aficionados who love Seinfeld. And, thanks to reruns, the Owl of Minerva is not too late. -- Nicholas Rescher, University of Pittsburgh

Seinfeld and Philosophy is a fascinating read. I just thought the show was funny. Who knew there was so much more involved? -- Kenny Kramer, the "real" Kramer

Wish we'd had this in college. -- Entertainment Weekly

About the Author

A New York journalist, who graduated from Stanford, Irwin was the brother of Wallace Irwin. He worked as World War I correspondent. His works include: Old Chinatown (1908), A Reporter in Armageddon --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Open Court (August 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812694090
• ISBN-13: 978-0812694093
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Irwin is professor of Philosophy and Director of the Honors Program at King's college, Pennsylvania. Irwin's first book, Intentionalist Interpretation: A Philosophical Explanation and Defense (1999), was nominated for the American Philosophical Association Young Scholar's Book Prize. Irwin is best known for having originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books with Seinfeld and Philosophy (1999), The Simpsons and Philosophy (2001), and The Matrix and Philosophy (2002). He was editor of these books and then General Editor of the Popular Culture and Philosophy Series through Open Court Publishing. In 2006, Irwin left Open Court to become the General Editor of The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series, which includes Metallica and Philosophy (2007), among other volumes. Irwin first theorized the philosophy and pop culture genre in his article "Philosophy as/and/of Popular Culture" in Irwin and Gracia eds. Philosophy and the Interpretation of Popular Culture (2006).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating book, August 27, 2003

By 

Adam Dukovich "colts_19" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (Paperback)

Seinfeld and Philosophy is a book with an interesting premise: it examines various philosophical issues raised by the phenomenally popular sitcom Seinfeld. The conceit is to examine the show that examined the minutia, the trivia of everyday life and to analyze certain aspects of the show from a philosophical standpoint. Thus, those of us who like both subjects have William Irwin to thank for this book, which is essentially a collection of essays from contemporary philosophers about Seinfeld.

The book includes 14 essays, organized into four "acts", most of which are good. The first act centers mostly on the primary characters. There is one for each main character. Jerry is compared to Socrates and George to a "Virtueless man" of Aristotle. The weakest essay, perhaps, is the one examining if Elaine is a feminist. The strongest essay concerns Kramer and Soren Kierkegaard's Asthetic Stage of Life. Although I am not entirely familiar with the man's work, the essay lays out the central principles of Kierkegaard's theory and ties it all together perfectly. Act II contains specific analogies between Seinfeld and the work of Nietzsche, Sartre, Lao Tzu, and Wittgenstein. Act III has a fascinating essay on George's choice to do "the opposite", another on Peterman and reality in the media, and a weak essay on the "significance of the insignificant" which purports to know the secret of Seinfeld's humor but never tells it. The final act tackles the moral and ethical backgrounds of the four and also examines whether the law used to convict the four (the Good Samaritan Law) deserved to be on the books.

Any Seinfeld fan will appreciate this wonderful book, even if they have no philosophical background. The book allows fans to look at their show at a different angle. Similarly, fans of philosophy will not be disappointed. Most of the major philosophical figures of history are covered here, including Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Lao Tzu and a smattering of Eastern philosophy, Nietzsche, Sartre, Wittgenstein, Kant and others. This is basically an appetizer plate for those who like Seinfeld have an interest in philosophy and but don't know where to start. This is worth buying for the more bookish variety of Seinfeld fans.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Introduction to Philosophy, December 21, 2001

By 

M. JEFFREY MCMAHON "herculodge" (Torrance, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (Paperback)

This book attests to the profundity of Seinfeld, how it is an appropriate vehicle for teaching a philosphical analysis explaining why the Seinfeld characters never grow up, find meaning, and discover wisdom, all the while holding a mirror to our own society and being loveable and endearing at the same time. You learn about Aristotle's Ethics and Virture and why George, lacking these things, can never achieve happiness. This essay about George's incurable unhappiness is the best of the bunch and worth the price of the whole book. In this anthology, I came across about six solid essays that highlighted Seinfeld's best attributes through the use of philosophy.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Book for the Seinfeld Fan, December 22, 2001

By 

Rob Archangel (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (Paperback)

Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book About Everything and Nothing is an excellent book for any Seinfeld fan, and any philosopher, amateur or professional interested in a philosophical analysis of a pop-culture phenomenon. For anyone who has ever thought there to be something deeper to Seinfeld, easily among the most popular sitcoms of the 90s, this book articulates those seemingly intangible qualities that made it so popular and so special.

At times tedious, it hosts a great number of excellent discussions. Organized first into four sections, analyzing each character through certain philsopher, then conversely explaining certain philosophers and their works through the characters, then discussing a certain philosophical issue raised by the show, and finally the last section, devoted to ethics, morality and considerations of what is acceptable or unacceptable. My particular interest in philosophy is ethics, and the final section does no injustice to either the contemplative ethicist, nor the rabid Seinfeld fan, and all who fall in-between.

Overall, this book was very well-written. As a side note, take the time to read the footnotes where applicable. Many of them raise other points which may be of interest to the reader. For the sitcom fan, the thoughtful philosopher, and anyone with an interest in either or both, this book is a must-read.