Is death something to be feared… or “mastered”?

What can Severus Snape teach us about the possibility of redemption?

Is love the most powerful magic of all?

J. K. Rowling’s wildly popular Harry Potter books may appear to be simple children’s tales on the surface, but like Hogwarts, they conceal many hidden chambers, trapdoors, and perplexing secrets. Drawing on all seven books in the Harry Potter series, The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy offers a powerful brew of insights about good and evil, love, death, power, sacrifice, and hope. Is it true, as Dumbledore says, that our choices reveal far more about us than our abilities do? Is there an afterlife, and what might it be like? Here’s a Pensieve for your thoughts. So take a healthy slug of Baruffio’s Brain Elixir and join Bassham’s Army of talented philosophers in exploring the mind-stretching deeper questions of the Potter books and films.

Expanded and up-to-date — the ultimate guide that explores meaning and philosophy of all six seasons of Lost

Lost is more than just a popular television show; it’s a complex examination of meaningful philosophical questions. What does good versus evil mean on the island? Is it a coincidence that characters John Locke and Desmond David Hume are named after actual philosophers? What is the ethics of responsibility for Jack?

An action-adventure story with more than a touch of the metaphysical, Lost forces viewers to ask difficult questions of themselves just as the story asks difficult questions of its characters. Ultimate Lost and Philosophy helps you explore the deeper meaning and philosophical questions hidden within every complex twist and turn in the historic show’s entire six-season run.

• Includes every season of Lost, including 2010’s final, highly anticipated season
• Connects events on the show to core philosophical issues such as truth, identity, and morality
• Explores a host of intriguing topics such as time travel, freedom, love, and loss

For fans of Lost who are interested in what the show reveals about ourselves and the human condition, Ultimate Lost and Philosophy is an entertaining, informative, and enlightening resource. ]]> http://andphilosophy.com/ultimate-lost-and-philosophy/feed/ 0 http://andphilosophy.com/twilight-and-history/ http://andphilosophy.com/twilight-and-history/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:06:59 +0000 Ellen http://andphilosophy.com/?p=671 http://andphilosophy.com/twilight-and-history/feed/ 0 http://andphilosophy.com/dexter-and-philosophy/ http://andphilosophy.com/dexter-and-philosophy/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:21:50 +0000 Ellen http://andphilosophy.com/dexter-and-philosophy/ http://andphilosophy.com/dexter-and-philosophy/feed/ 0 http://andphilosophy.com/true-blood-and-philosophy/ http://andphilosophy.com/true-blood-and-philosophy/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:29:19 +0000 Ellen http://andphilosophy.com/?p=577 Does God hate fangs?

Is Sam still Sam when he turns into a collie?

Is coming out of the coffin the same as coming out of the closet?

Are all vampires created evil?

Vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, fairies, telepaths—True Blood has it all. In a world where supernatural creatures coexist with human beings, Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton wrestle with powerful desires while facing complex issues concerning sex, romance, bigotry, violence, death, and immortality. Now, True Blood and Philosophy calls on the minds of some of history’s great thinkers to perform some philosophical bloodletting on this thought-provoking series. From the metaphysics of mind reading to Maryann Forrester’s cult of Dionysus, from vampire politics to the nature of personal identity, and from contemporary feminism to the rights of nonhuman species, True Blood and Philosophy mines the thinking of philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche, and John Rawls to enlighten us on the intriguing themes that surround this supernatural world. You’ll find no shortage of juicy metaphysical morsels to sink your teeth into!

Is immoral behavior no laughing matter?

Can Devon Banks choose his sexual orientation?

Is that a dealbreaker?

Hello, dummy. Wait! Don’t stop reading. This is really important. I’m dying. Okay, that was a lie. It’s about this TV show I love. I recently discovered that I’m a 30 Rock addict. From Jack Donaghy’s management advice to the things Liz Lemon has to do just to get a show on the air every week, 30 Rock raises all kinds of ethical dilemmas and philosophical issues. Okay, it’s not like reading Wittgenstein, but it makes you wise. Like a genetically manipulated shark. Every essay in 30 Rock and Philosophy takes some of my favorite scenes from the show and uses them to explain important philosophical issues. Even the most esoteric ideas become understandable when Kenneth is involved. So if you watch the show for Tracy’s antics, Dr. Spaceman’s medical advice, or just to look at Tina Fey, read this book and you’ll walk away knowing about the Frankfurt School, Aristotle, and Jack Donaghy’s sordid love life. Now that we have that out of the way, I have an idea for a business that could make us both millionaires. One word: floppy disks.