"The Books" Page

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Philosophy

Can Lisbeth Salander be our guide to a postgender world?
To catch a criminal, can Lisbeth and Mikael be criminals themselves?
Would Aristotle read Larsson’s mystery books on a beach?
Can revenge be ethical?
What’s the deal with all that coffee?
Drawing a thin moral line between their own actions and the criminal schemes they seek to unravel in the ... Read More

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Arrested Development and Philosophy

Is George Michael’s crush on his cousin unnatural?
Is it immoral for Lindsay to lie about stealing clothes to hide her job?
Is Gob better off living his life in bad faith?
What inferences can we draw from Tobias’s double entendres?
Are the pictures really of bunkers or balls?
The Bluth family’s faults, foibles, and character flaws are so excruciatingly ... Read More

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Green Lantern and Philosophy

Is Hal Jordan a murderer?
What kind of strength is willpower?
Do emotions help or hurt a Green Lantern?
Can a Green Lantern power ring do anything imaginable—and should we worry if it can?
How can insects, mathematical equations, and planets be Green Lanterns?
Green Lanterns and their awesome power rings inspire a sense of possibility and wonder that can ... Read More

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Inception and Philosophy

Did the top fall?
Was the whole movie just a dream?
Is it possible for us to know what is truly real?
When should we take our own leap of faith?
Is paradox possible?
In the complex world of Christopher Nolan’s four-time Academy Award–winning metaphysical heist film Inception, Dom Cobb has the ability to infiltrate people’s dreams to steal and ... Read More

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Harry Potter and Philosophy

Is it always wrong to use a love potion?
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 ... Read More

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Lost and Philosophy

What are the metaphysics of time travel?
How can Hurley exist in two places at the same time?
What does it mean for something to be possibly true in the flash-sideways universe?
Does Jack have a moral obligation to his father?
What is the Tao of John Locke?
Dude. So there’s, like, this island? And a bunch of us were ... Read More

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True Blood and Philosophy

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 ... Read More

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30 Rock and Philosophy

Should you let Oprah be your guide?
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 ... Read More

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Mad Men and Philosophy

Is Don Draper a good man?
What do Peggy, Betty, and Joan teach us about gender equality?
What are the ethics of advertising—or is that a contradiction in terms?
Is Roger Sterling an existential hero?
We’re better people than we were in the sixties, right?
With its swirling cigarette smoke, martini lunches, skinny ties, and tight pencil skirts, Mad Men ... Read More

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X-Men and Philosophy

Do mutants have “human” rights?
Is mind-reading an invasion of privacy?
What’s wrong with genetic experimentation?
How many identities can one person have?
Are the X-Men advocates of civil rights and social change?
X-Men is one of the most popular comic-book franchises ever, captivating millions with its teeming X-Verse of genetic mutants who have been unleashing their unique special powers ... Read More

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