Notes on Contributors xi
Acknowledgments xvii
Sources xix
Introduction 1
Part I: What is Philosophy? 3
Socrates and the Spirit of Philosophy
1 Flatulence and Philosophy: A Lot of Hot Air, or the Corruption of Youth? 5
William W. Young, III
Logic and Fallacies
2 The Chewbacca Defense: A South Park Logic Lesson 14
Robert Arp
Relativism and Truth
3 Wikiality, Truthiness, and Gut Thinking: Doing Philosophy Colbert Style 23
David Kyle Johnson
Part II: Epistemology 35
Introduction 35
The Ethics of Belief
4 You Know, I Learned Something Today: Stan Marsh and the Ethics of Belief 37
Henry Jacoby
Skepticism
5 Tumbling Down the Rabbit Hole: Knowledge, Reality, and the Pit of Skepticism 44
Matt Lawrence
Definition of Knowledge
6 Adama's True Lie: Earth and the Problem of Knowledge 54
Eric J. Silverman
7 Wakandan Resources: The Epistemological Reality of Black Panther’s Fiction 62
Ruby Komic
Part III: Metaphysics 71
Introduction 71
The Nature of Reality
8 Life on a Holodeck: What Star Trek Can Teach Us About the True Nature of Reality 73
Dara Fogel
Mind and Body
9 Astral Bodies and Cartesian Souls: Mind–Body Dualism in Doctor Strange 82
Dean A. Kowalski
10 Mind and Body in Zion 90
Matt Lawrence
Personal Identity
11 Amnesia, Personal Identity, and the Many Lives of Wolverine 101
Jason Southworth
Freedom and Determinism
12 The Consolation of Bilbo: Providence and Free Will in Middle-Earth 107
Grant Sterling
13 Inception and Free Will: Are They Compatible? 115
John R. Fitzpatrick and David Kyle Johnson
Consciousness and Artificial Intelligence
14 Turing's Dream and Searle's Nightmare in Westworld 123
Lucia Carrillo Gonzalez
15 What is it Like to Be a Host? 128
Bradley Richards
Time Travel
16 The Time Travel in Avengers: Endgame 136
David Kyle Johnson
Part IV: Philosophy of Religion 145
Introduction 145
The Problem of Evil
17 South Park, Cartmanland, and the Problem of Evil 147
David Kyle Johnson
The Existence of God
18 Hidden Mickeys and the Hiddenness of God 156
Robert K. Garcia and Timothy Pickavance
Faith
19 The Jedi Knights of Faith: Anakin, Luke, and Soren (Kierkegaard) 164
William A. Lindenmuth
Part V: Ethics 173
Introduction 173
Utilitarianism and Deontology
20 Why Doesn't Batman Kill the Joker? 175
Mark D. White
21 Means, Ends, and the Critique of Pure Superheroes 183
J. Robert Loftis
Virtue Ethics
22 Can Eleanor Really Become a Better Person? (The Good Place) 191
Eric J. Silverman and Zachary Swanson
Friendship
23 "You're a Sucky, Sucky Friend": Seeking Aristotelian Friendship in The Big Bang Theory 198
Dean A. Kowalski
Stoicism
24 "You Are Asking Me to Be Rational": Stoic Philosophy and the Jedi Order 207
Matt Hummel
Part VI: Challenges to Traditional Ethics 215
Introduction 215
Nietzschean Critique
25 Rediscovering Nietzsche's Ûbermensch in Superman as a Heroic Ideal 217
Arno Bogaerts
Existentialist Ethics
26 Knowing Who You Are: Existence Precedes Essence in Moana 228
William J. Devlin
Feminist Critique
27 Becoming a (Wonder) Woman: Feminism, Nationalism, and the Ambiguity of Female Identity 236
J. Lenore Wright
28 The Silence of Our Mother: Eywa as the Voice of Feminine Care Ethics (Avatar) 245
George A. Dunn and Nicolas Michaud
Environmental Ethics
29 "Everything Is Backwards Now": Avatar, Anthropocentrism, and Relational Reason 253
Jeremy David Bendik-Keymer
Part VII: Social and Political Philosophy 263
Introduction 263
Social Contract Theory
30 Maester Hobbes Goes to King's Landing (Game of Thrones) 265
Greg Littmann
31 Lost's State of Nature 273
Richard Davies
Marxism
32 Federation Trekonomics: Marx, the Federation, and the Shift from Necessity to Freedom 284
Jeff Ewing
Rawls
33 Superman and Justice 292
Christopher Robichaud
Libertarianism
34 Cartman Shrugged: South Park and Libertarian Philosophy 299
Paul A. Cantor
Race
35 Ninjas, Kobe Bryant, and Yellow Plastic: The LEGO Minifigure and Race 311
Roy T. Cook
36 When Tech Meets Tradition: How Wakandan Technology Transcends Anti-Blackness 321
Timothy E. Brown
Political Manipulation
37 Black Mirror and Political Manipulation: How Are We Tricked into Dehumanizing Others? 329
Bertha Alvarez Manninen
The #MeToo Movement
38 Black Mirror and #DeathTo: What Are the Consequences of Trial by Twitter? 338
Aline Maya
Part VIII: Eastern Views 349
Introduction 349
39 The Brick, the Plate, and the Uncarved Block: LEGO as an Expression of the Dao 351
Steve Bein
40 LEGO, Impermanence, and Buddhism 359
David Kahn
41 Zen and the Art of Imagineering: Disney's Escapism Versus Buddhism's Liberation 367
Steve Bein
Part IX: The Afterlife and Meaning 375
Introduction 375
An Afterlife Gives Meaning
42 Beyond Godric's Hollow: Life After Death and the Search for Meaning (Harry Potter) 377
Jonathan L. Walls and Jerry L. Walls
An Afterlife Wouldn't Give Meaning
43 Why it Wouldn't be Rational to Believe You're in The Good Place (and Why You Wouldn't Want to Be Anyway) 384
David Kyle Johnson
Index 393
