Family Guy and Philosophy: A Cure for the Petarded (Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture)

That’s right. We’ve done it. We’ve brought together lowbrow, potty-mouthed, cartoon humor and highbrow philosophical reflection. Ok, it’s not that highbrow, but the results are outrageously delicious. In Family Guy and Philosophy we tackle the perennial positions of the show and contemplate a little philosophy to boot!

Is Family Guy really a vehicle for conservative politics? What’s so funny about dysfunctional families? Should we all be offended by the show? This book gathers original essays from premier philosophers to get behind the punchlines and find out what we’re really laughing at. And of course we dive into the philosophy of the cast as well, asking the important questions, like: What the hell is wrong with Stewie? Who is more human, Peter or Brian? Is Lois a feminist? Is there anything virtuous about Quagmire?

Family Guy and Philosophy takes an introspective look at what this show can teach us about the ego, ethics, religion, death, and of course, time-travel, and delivers a merciless exploration of one of TV’s most unrelenting families.

Is Family Guy really a vehicle for conservative politics? What's so funny about dysfunctional families? Should we all be offended by the show? This book gathers original essays from premier philosophers to get behind the punchlines and find out what we're really laughing at. And of course we dive into the philosophy of the cast as well, asking the important questions, like: What the hell is wrong with Stewie? Who is more human, Peter or Brian? Is Lois a feminist? Is there anything virtuous about Quagmire?

Family Guy and Philosophy takes an introspective look at what this show can teach us about the ego, ethics, religion, death, and of course, time-travel, and delivers a merciless exploration of one of TV's most unrelenting families.

• A sharp, witty and absurd exploration of one of television’s most unrelenting families, the stars of one of the biggest-selling TV series ever on DVD, now in its fourth season

• Tackles the perennial positions of Family Guy at the same time as contemplating poignant philosophical issues

• Takes an introspective look at what this show can teach us about ethics, ego, religion, death, and of course, time-travel

• Considers whether Family Guy is really a vehicle for conservative politics, and whether we should be offended by the show, as well as diving into the philosophy of the cast

You Better Not Read This, Pal: An Introduction to Family Guy and Philosophy: J. Jeremy Wisnewski.

Part I. Those Good Ole’ Fashion Values on which we used to rely.

1. Killing the Griffins: A Murderous Exposition of Postmodernism: J. Jeremy Wisnewski (Hartwick College).

2. Family Guy and God: Should Believers Take Offense?: Ray J. VanArragon (Bethel University).

3. Quagmire, Virtue, and Perversity: Shaun Miller (Weber State University).

4. Francis Griffin and the Church of the Holy Fonz: Religious Exclusivism and "Real" Religion: David Kyle Johnson (King's College).

Part II. Lucky there’s a family guy! (And what a family!).

5. Let Us Now Praise Clueless Men: Peter Griffin and Philosophy: Jerry Samet (Brandeis University).

6. Lois: Portrait of a Mother (Or, Nevermind Death, Motherhood is a Bitch): Stephanie Empey (University of California, Riverside).

7. Mmmyez: Stewie and the Seven Deadly Sins: Sharon M. Kaye (John Carroll University).

8. The Other Children: The Significance of Meg and Chris: P. Sue Dohnimm.

9. He Thinks He’s People: How Brian Made Personhood for the Dogs: Daniel Malloy (Appalachian State University).

Part III. He-he-he-he-he. You expected more lyrics, but you’re getting logic, comedy, and the logic of comedy.

10. The Logic of Expectation: Family Guy and the Non Sequitur: Jonah P.B. Goldwater (Baruch College).

11. What Are You Laughing At (And Why)? Exploring the Humor of Family Guy: Andrew Terjesen (Washington and Lee University).

12. Thinkin’ is Freakin’ Sweet: Family Guy and Fallacies: Robert Arp (Florida State University).

13. The Simpsons Already Did It! This Show Is A Freakin’ Rip-Off!: Shai Biderman (Boston University) and William J. Devlin (Boston University).

Part IV. Family Problems.

14. Is Brian More of a “Person” than Peter? Of Wills, Wantons, and Wives: Mark D. White (College of Staten Island).

15. The Ego is a Housewife Named Lois: Robert Sharp (University of Alabama).

16. The Lives and Times of Stewie Griffin: Tuomas Manninen (Arizona State University West).

17. Kierkegaard and the Norm (MacDonald) of Death: Adam Buben (University of South Florida).

Appendix: Everything you ever needed to know about Meg Griffin, as compiled by the contributors.

Notes on Contributors: What the deuce!?! They’re real! (Most of them, anyway) [Contributor Bios].

Index: He-he-he-he-he-he … You read books [Index]