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Interviews | January 24, 2012

Jill Owens: IMG Ben Marcus: The Powells.com Interview

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Ben MarcusBen Marcus's books The Age of Wire and String and Notable American Women were considered "experimental" fiction because of his unconventional use of... Continue »
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eBook editions

Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes

by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein

Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Cover

ISBN13: 9780810914933
ISBN10: 081091493x
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Here's a lively, hilarious, not-so-reverent crash course through the great philosophical traditions, schools, concepts, and thinkers; it's Philosophy 101 for everyone who knows not to take all this heavy stuff too seriously. Some included Big Ideas are Philosophy of Religion (a priest and a rabbi are stranded on a desert island...), Existentialism (what do Hegel and Bette Midler have in common?), Ethics and Aesthetics (a dog and a cat are sitting in this tree...), Language ("It depends what your definition of is is"), and much more. Finally — it all makes sense!

Review:

"I laughed, I learned, I loved it!" Roy Blount Jr.

Synopsis:

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, everyone is familiar with the tired clichés: women are bad drivers and are not good with money; only guys play video games and they give bad directions. Dan Abrams tackles the toughest case of his career in Man Down. Drawing on years of legal experience and research studies, Abrams explains step-by-step why women are better than men in just about every way imaginable, from managing money to flying planes to living longer. Abrams uses his trademark charm to get his point across without opining on the issue himself. Chock-full of fun facts and conversation starters, this book may not end the debate of men versus women, but it will definitely make it more interesting.

 

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About the Author

Tom Cathcart and Daniel Klein pursued the usual careers after majoring in philosophy at Harvard. Tom worked with street gangs in Chicago, doctors at Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and dropped in and out of various divinity schools. He lives with his wife on Cape Cod. Dan has written jokes for various comedians including Flip Wilson and Lily Tomlin. He lives with his wife in the Berkshires. Together, they are authors of the politically incorrect book of daily affirmations, Macho Meditations.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 6 comments:
claren.walker, April 6, 2011 (view all comments by claren.walker)
"I picked this book up and couldn't put it down". That's something I cant say about a lot of philosophy books. By incorporating jokes, the author really reeled me in. Very educational as well as entertaining and lighthearted. Fabulous read for a person of any age!
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Shoshana, December 30, 2009 (view all comments by Shoshana)
Entertaining enough, with some good jokes, some of which were good examples of the philosophical school or concept they purported to illustrate, some, not so much. I'm not sure if knowing more philosophy or less would make this a more enjoyable collection, but I found myself getting hung up on jokes that didn't seem to show what they were intended to.
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barba, September 3, 2008 (view all comments by barba)
Crazy book that had me laughing a lot and that is good for your health!
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(9 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780810914933
Subtitle:
Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt That Women Are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers, and Just About Everything Else
Author:
Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein
Author:
Klein, Daniel
Author:
Cathcart, Thomas
Author:
Abrams, Dan
Publisher:
Abrams Image
Subject:
General
Subject:
Form - Essays
Subject:
Philosophy -- Humor.
Subject:
General Humor
Subject:
Philosophy
Subject:
Humor
Subject:
History & Surveys - General
Subject:
Gender Studies
Copyright:
2007
Edition Description:
Hardcover w/Dust Jacket
Publication Date:
May 2007
Binding:
Hardback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
144
Dimensions:
8.00 x 5.50 in
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Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Used Hardcover
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Product details 144 pages Abrams Image - English 9780810914933 Reviews:
"Review" by , "I laughed, I learned, I loved it!"
"Synopsis" by , Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, everyone is familiar with the tired clichés: women are bad drivers and are not good with money; only guys play video games and they give bad directions. Dan Abrams tackles the toughest case of his career in Man Down. Drawing on years of legal experience and research studies, Abrams explains step-by-step why women are better than men in just about every way imaginable, from managing money to flying planes to living longer. Abrams uses his trademark charm to get his point across without opining on the issue himself. Chock-full of fun facts and conversation starters, this book may not end the debate of men versus women, but it will definitely make it more interesting.

 
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