The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer
Encyclopedia
The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer is a non-fiction
book analyzing the philosophy
and popular culture
effects of the American animated sitcom, The Simpsons
, published by Open Court
. 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. 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.
and Aristotle
, or Bart Simpson
and Friedrich 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.
, 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."
At Siena Heights University
a course titled "Animated Philosophy and Religion" uses the book as one of the main texts in order to help teach philosophy. 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 say the book "helps draw people to philosophy." A course titled "Simpsons and Philosophy", devoted entirely to the show & philosophy, is offered at the University of California, Berkeley
as part of the university's controversial DeCal
program in which students take courses taught by their peers.
Steve Carroll of The Age
criticized the book and others like it for watering down philosophical content while making tenuous connections with popular themes in order to maximize appeal to consumers. The book was satirized in an article titled "The 'Popular Culture and Philosophy' Books and Philosophy:
Philosophy, You’ve Officially Been Pimped", in the online journal Flow TV.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book analyzing the philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
effects of the American animated sitcom, The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, published by Open Court
Open Court Publishing Company
The Open Court Publishing Company is a publisher with offices in Chicago and La Salle, Illinois. It is part of the Carus Publishing Company of Peru, Illinois.-History:...
. 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. 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 SimpsonHomer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
, or Bart Simpson
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
. 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
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
in politics. Religion is also discussed in the book, such as the guilt Homer feels for not going to church, or Ned Flanders
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
experiencing tragedies, despite following the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
closely.
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 BooklistBooklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
, who wrote, "[...]these pieces make erudite concepts accessible by viewing things through the lens of a great cartoon series," or Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
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."
At Siena Heights University
Siena Heights University
Siena Heights University is a Roman Catholic postsecondary institution in Adrian, Michigan. It is affiliated with the St. Joseph Academy and Montessori Children’s House.-History:...
a course titled "Animated Philosophy and Religion" uses the book as one of the main texts in order to help teach philosophy. 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 say the book "helps draw people to philosophy." A course titled "Simpsons and Philosophy", devoted entirely to the show & philosophy, is offered at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
as part of the university's controversial DeCal
Decal
A decal or transfer is a plastic, cloth, paper or ceramic substrate that has printed on it a pattern or image that can be moved to another surface upon contact, usually with the aid of heat or water. The word is short for decalcomania...
program in which students take courses taught by their peers.
Steve Carroll of The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
criticized the book and others like it for watering down philosophical content while making tenuous connections with popular themes in order to maximize appeal to consumers. The book was satirized in an article titled "The 'Popular Culture and Philosophy' Books and Philosophy:
Philosophy, You’ve Officially Been Pimped", in the online journal Flow TV.
See also
- List of The Simpsons publications
- Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a GenerationPlanet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a GenerationPlanet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation is a non-fiction book about The Simpsons, written by Chris Turner and originally published on 12 October 2004 by Random House...
- The Psychology of The SimpsonsThe Psychology of The SimpsonsThe Psychology of The Simpsons: D'oh! is a non-fiction book analyzing psychology themes in the television series The Simpsons. It contains content from several contributors, including psychologists, counselors and school therapists. The book was edited by Alan S. Brown, Ph.D., and Chris Logan, and...