Hold on a moment: South Park is philosophical? Well, yes, it is. It may not tackle, say, technical issues in epistemology or metaphysics, but the show regularly comments on some of the philosophical issues that capture the most public attention. For the most part, these issues are the subject of South Park and Philosophy. The anthology's chapters are grouped into five sections, but I think of them as fitting roughly into three categories: (1) applied ethics and political issues, (2) religion, and (3) everything else.
The majority of the political and ethical essays are by Richard Hanley, the anthology's editor, who is fairly liberal and shares many ethical opinions with fellow Australian philosopher Peter Singer. If you're acquainted with Singer's work - and especially if you've read Practical Ethics - then much of the applied ethics material will be familiar.
Hanley's positions are often incendiary. In "White Jews Can't Jump," he argues in favor of permitting performance-enhancing drugs in sports. And in "Animal Protein," Hanley argues that eating baby animals may be an ethically acceptable alternative to eating the adult animals produced in factory farming, and that eating human fetuses and infants may sometimes be permissible. Both of these chapters are virtually guaranteed to piss off most people who read them. I think they are Hanley's best contributions to the volume; they are certainly his most memorable.
The contributors' attitude toward is secular and irreverent. One highlight of the religion section is Richard Dalton's "Pussy Epistemology Is No Match For A Dick," a sort of defense of Richard Dawkins's public atheism. Parker and Stone get some well-deserved flak here: Dalton easily demolishes the shallow version of pluralism ("no one answer is ever the answer") that underlies Parker and Stone's criticism of Dawkins.
The rest of the chapters are a mixed bag. One of the most satisfying essays in the book is Tom Way's "Douching Your Truth Canal," a sort of paean to critical thinking and a well-deserved excoriation of douchebags like John Edward. Other strong points of the mixed bag include Sophia Bishop's chapter on time travel and Randall Auxier's piece on education reform. However, Auxier's essay on Kenny, death and existentialism is high on armchair psychology and low on both psychological evidence and philosophical argument.
South Park and Philosophy is written in the spirit of South Park itself. The contributors are gleefully profane and blasphemous, and they pour scorn on bad arguments, even when those arguments come from the show itself. If you don't want to read opinions that stray from the ideology of South Park, you may want to look elsewhere. But if you want a smartassed, trash-talking collection of essays on South Park and some of the most inflammatory issues that the show tackles, this is a good read.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
![South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating (Popular Culture and Philosophy Book 26) by [Richard Hanley]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51FRofwbHJL._SY346_.jpg)
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Next 5 for you in this series
See full series
Total Price:
$67.18
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2013
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2007
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2007
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2007
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2023
Top reviews from other countries
Tömmchen
Wichtiges Buch über DEN kulturellen Impact schlechthin
Reviewed in Germany on December 26, 2012
