Ultimate South Park Philosophy - (Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture) 2nd Edition by Robert Arp & Kevin S Decker & William Irwin (Paperback)

About the Book

"Enlightenment from the South Park gang faster than you can say, "Screw you guys, I'm going home"!The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy: Respect My Philosophah! presents a compilation of serious philosophical reflections on the twisted insights voiced by characters in TV's most irreverent animated series. Offers readers a philosophically smart and candid approach to one of television's most subversive and controversial shows as it enters its 17th season Draws sharp parallels between the irreverent nature of South Park and the inquiring and skeptical approach of Western philosophy Journeys deep beyond the surface of the show's scatological humor to address the perennial questions raised in South Park and the contemporary social and political issues that inspire each episode Utilizes familiar characters and episodes to illustrate such philosophical topics as moral relativism, freedom of expression, gay marriage, blasphemy, democracy, feminism, animal ethics, existential questions, and much more It's a Bigger, Longer & Uncut version of the highly acclaimed South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today--and is guaranteed to be much funnier than killing Kenny "--

Book Synopsis

Enlightenment from the South Park gang faster than you can say, "Screw you guys, I'm going home"!

The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy: Respect My Philosophah! presents a compilation of serious philosophical reflections on the twisted insights voiced by characters in TV's most irreverent animated series.

• Offers readers a philosophically smart and candid approach to one of television's most subversive and controversial shows as it enters its 17th season
• Draws sharp parallels between the irreverent nature of South Park and the inquiring and skeptical approach of Western philosophy
• Journeys deep beyond the surface of the show's scatological humor to address the perennial questions raised in South Park and the contemporary social and political issues that inspire each episode
• Utilizes familiar characters and episodes to illustrate such philosophical topics as moral relativism, freedom of expression, gay marriage, blasphemy, democracy, feminism, animal ethics, existential questions, and much more
• It's a Bigger, Longer & Uncut version of the highly acclaimed South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today--and is guaranteed to be much funnier than killing Kenny

From the Back Cover

What can Kyle, Cartman, Kenny and Stan teach us about imagination, logic and reason?

Is South Park anti-religion?

Is this tiny town in the Rockies democratic, anarchic, or something else?

Will Mr. Garrison and Big Gay Al ever be happy together in gay marriage?

In the six years since the original publication of South Park and Philosophy, the lives of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny have become only more dysfunctional--too much dysfunctionality to pass up, in fact. Reflecting this wealth of fearless new comedic material, The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy presents a compilation of serious philosophical reflections on the twisted insights of the characters in TV's most irreverent animated series. Burning philosophical questions addressed by notable thinkers in this new volume include blasphemy and Scientology, Apple and iPads, the problems of evil and guilt, and why the Crack Baby Athletic Association is wrong on so many levels. Topical issues warranting further philosophical consideration include the problem of Big Gay Al and marriage, faith in God in a world of Cartmanland-type evil, and, of course, if Kyle was on to something when he questioned whether his existence was reality or just a dream. Combining an irreverence of its own with the minimal legal amount of philosophy, The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy allows readers to gain a deeper appreciation for South Park and a greater respect for the philosophah that springs from "Out of the potty-mouths of babes ...."

About the Author

Robert Arp is an analyst working with the U.S. Government. He has done data modeling work as an ontologist, and has taught philosophy courses at colleges and universities, too. His interests include philosophy of biology, ontology in the information science sense, and philosophy and pop culture.

Kevin S. Decker teaches philosophy at Eastern Washington University, where he is also an Associate Dean of the College of Arts, Letters and Education. His research interests are American pragmatism, Continental philosophy, ethics, philosophy and pop culture, and social theory.

William Irwin is Professor of Philosophy at King's College. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as coeditor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy and has overseen recent titles including Superman and Philosophy, Black Sabbath and Philosophy, and Spider-Man and Philosophy.