The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer

The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer is a book analyzing the philosophy and popular culture effects of The Simpsons, published by Open Court. The title is a satirical allusion to the Chinese philosophical work, the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu. The book is edited by William Irwin, Mark T. Conard and Aeon J. Skoble, each of whom also wrote one of the eighteen essays in the book.
The book was released on February 28, 2001, as the second volume of Open Court Publishing's Popular Culture and Philosophy series, which currently includes thirty-three books."Popular Culture and Philosophy series" www.opencourtbooks.com. Retrieved on November 28, 2007 The book has gone on to be extremely successful, both in sales and critically, and is also used as a main text in various universities with philosophy courses.
== Contents ==
The book includes contributions from eighteen academics in the field of philosophy. Topics included are comparisons of the characters in the show, such as Homer Simpson and Aristotle, or Bart Simpson and Nietzsche. The book brings up topics such as why Homer's appeal is universal by arguing that he speaks to fundamental conflicts about what gives human pleasure.
Other topics include the manner in which the show makes philosophical statements, and its opinions on sexuality in politics. Religion is also discussed in the book, such as the guilt Homer feels for not going to church, or Ned Flanders experiencing tragedies, despite following the Bible closely.
===Contents Page===
Page numbers not included.
Acknowledgements
Introduction Meditations on Springfield?
Part IThe Characters
1. Homer and Aristotle RAJA HALWANI
2. Lisa and American Anti-intellectualism AEON J. SKOBLE
3. Why Maggie Matters: Sounds of Silence, East and West ERIC BRONSON
4. Marge's Moral Motivation GERALD J. ERION and JOSEPH A. ZECCARDI
5. Thus Spake Bart: On Nietzshe and the Virtues of Being BadMARK T. CONARD
== Reception ==
The book was highly successful, selling over 203,000 copies, making it the best selling book in the Open Court Publishing's Popular Culture and Philosophy series. The book was also critically successful, highlighting the philosophical themes that the book was able to make with The Simpsons, such as Booklist, who wrote, "[...]these pieces make erudite concepts accessible by viewing things through the lens of a great cartoon series," or Publishers Weekly who wrote, "Fans of The Simpsons are certain to find this book to be the perfect rebuttal for those who dismiss the show as a no-brainer."
The book has been used as an aid in many universities to help teach philosophy, with some having the book as the main text book for the course. The book has been praised for being able to make connections to philosophical studies and to youth, by using popular culture. The professors who use the book as the main text say the book "helps draw people to philosophy." At the University of California, Berkeley, a class titled "Simpsons and Philosophy" is devoted entirely to the show and philosophy.
== See also ==
*List of publications
* The World According to The Simpsons: What Our Favorite TV Family Says About Life, Love, and the Pursuit of the Perfect Donut
*Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation
*The Psychology of The Simpsons
== Citations ==
Category:Real World books