Black Sabbath and Existentialism

The essay below originally appears as Chapter of Black Sabbath and Philosophy: Mastering Reality. Beyond Good and Evil Facing your Demons with Black Sabbath and Existentialism William Irwin You know about the lost Black Sabbath album, right? They recorded it with Ozzy in 1999, but legal battles kept it from being released. It was supposed…

Graduate Student Conference

Graduate Student Conference Pop Culture and Philosophy Keynote Speaker: William Irwin, King’s College April 12, 2025   The graduate students of the UAlbany Philosophy department are proud to announce that the topic of The 17th Annual UAPA Grad Student Conference is Pop Culture and Philosophy. All are invited and the conference is open to the public.…

Now available! Joker and Philosophy

A philosophical exploration of Joker and the meaning of the iconic antagonist’s murderous escapades A diabolically sinister but clownish villain, Joker is a symbolically rich and philosophically fascinating character. Both crazed and cunning, sadistically cruel but seductively charming, the Clown Prince of Crime embodies everything opposed to the positive ideals of order and justice defended…

Joker’s Revenge You Get What You F****** Deserve

The essay below originally appears as Chapter 8 of Joker and Philosophy. You Get What You F****** Deserve Greg Littmann Joker: “What do you get when you cross a mentally ill loner with a society that abandons him and treats him like trash?…You get what you fucking deserve.” [Shoots Murray] There’s something satisfying about watching Joker…

Is Taylor Swift a Philosopher?

The essay below appears originally as Chapter 1 in Taylor Swift and Philosophy. Is Taylor Swift a Philosopher? Catherine M. Robb After being awarded an honorary doctorate by New York University (NYU) in 2022, Taylor Swift gave a commencement speech for the graduates. During her speech Taylor spoke of the exciting challenge of figuring out who…

 Inner-Circle vs The World in The Last of Us

The essay below appears as Chapter 3 of The Last of Us and Philosophy. “He Who Fights with Monsters”  Inner-Circle vs The World in The Last of Us Dylan Skurka Ellie: If you don’t think there’s hope for the world, why bother going on? I mean, you gotta try, right? Joel: You haven’t seen the…

Fallout and Philosophy Call for Abstracts 

Fallout and Philosophy  Call for Abstracts  Edited by Nathan Kellen, Nate Sheff, and Joshua Heter The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series  Please circulate and post widely. Apologies for cross-posting.  To propose ideas for future volumes in the Blackwell series please contact the Series Editor, William Irwin, williamirwin@kings.edu  Contributors of accepted essays will receive an honorarium.…

Pre-order The Last of Us and Philosophy

Did Joel do the right thing when he saved Ellie? Are those infected by the Cordyceps conscious? Are communities necessary for human survival and flourishing? Should Ellie forgive Joel? Is Abby’s revenge morally justified? Is Ellie’s? The Last of Us franchise includes two of the best video games ever created and the critically acclaimed HBO series.…