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

Can Wonder Woman help us understand feminist philosophy? How Does Wakandan technology transcend anti-Blackness? What can Star Trek teach us about the true nature of reality? Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture uses engaging examples from popular media to teach readers about a wide range of philosophical concepts, from the fundamentals of metaphysics and epistemology to complex ideas about ethics, faith, and the meaning of life. Easy-to-read essays drawn from the bestselling Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series make the work of thinkers including Socrates, Aristotle, Descartes, Nietzsche, and Kierkegaard approachable, relevant, and exciting. This expanded second edition addresses important topics such as race, gender, personal identity, social justice, and environmental ethics. Brand-new essays explore how The Good Place, Game of Thrones, Black Panther, Star Wars, The Avengers, South Park, The Lego Movie, The Big Bang Theory, and other films and television shows relate to skepticism, existentialist ethics, social contract theory, utilitarianism, and more. Supported by a new website with links to primary philosophical texts and information about the popular culture discussed, Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture, Second Edition remains an excellent supplementary textbook for introductory philosophy courses and a valuable resource for general readers wanting to learn about philosophy and its connections with pop culture.