Boardwalk Empire and Philosophy - (Popular Culture and Philosophy) by Richard Greene & Rachel Robison-Greene (Paperback)

About the Book

From Machiavellian city officials to big-time mobsters, corrupt beat cops, and overzealous G-men, "Boardwalk Empire" is replete with philosophically compelling characters who find themselves in philosophically interesting situations. This book is directed at thoughtful fans of the show. Here, readers discover parallels between the events in "Boardwalk Empire" and contemporary political events. Twenty philosophers address issues in political philosophy, ethics, aesthetics, feminism, and metaphysics. Is Nucky Thomson a Machiavellian prince or a Nietzschean superman? Is Jimmy's resentment towards Nucky justified, given that Jimmy would never have come into existence had his parents not met? What can be said about the ethics of lying in the seedy world of bootlegging? Agent Van Alden's unique religious attitudes bring a warped sense of morality to the "Boardwalk" universe. One chapter brings to light the moral character of Van Alden's God. Other chapters explores the roles that storytelling, deception, and gender play in the show.

Book Synopsis

From Machiavellian city officials to big-time mobsters, corrupt beat cops, and overzealous G-men, Boardwalk Empire is replete with philosophically compelling characters who find themselves in philosophically interesting situations. This book is directed at thoughtful fans of the show. Here, readers discover parallels between the events in Boardwalk Empire and contemporary political events. Twenty philosophers address issues in political philosophy, ethics, aesthetics, feminism, and metaphysics. Is Nucky Thomson a Machiavellian prince or a Nietzschean superman? Is Jimmy's resentment towards Nucky justified, given that Jimmy would never have come into existence had his parents not met? What can be said about the ethics of lying in the seedy world of bootlegging? Agent Van Alden's unique religious attitudes bring a warped sense of morality to the Boardwalk universe. One chapter brings to light the moral character of Van Alden's God. Other chapters explores the roles that storytelling, deception, and gender play in the show.

About the Author

Richard Greene is professor of Philosophy at Weber State University in Utah. He is co-editor of many volumes in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series, the most recent being Dexter and Philosophy.
Rachel Robison-Greene is co-editor of Dexter and Philosophy and The Golden Compass and Philosophy. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.