South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating

Trey Parker and Matt Stones long-running Comedy Central hit cartoon South Park has been equally cheered and reviled for its edgy humor, poited satire of current events and celebrities, and all-around obnoxiousness. But is there more to Kyle, the lonely Jew, Timmy and the Crips, Cartmans bitchiness, Chefs inappropriate advice, and Kennys continued violent deaths than meets the eye? This collection of essays affirms that possibility. Individual chapters take a sometimes witty, often provocative look at “Is South Park a Libertarian Manifesto?", "That's So Gay!", and "Why Is Cartman Such an Asshole?”. The writers apply classical philosophical analysis to this two-dimensional dystopia, whether in Paul Drapers “Why Good Things Happen to Bad People — The Problem of Evil in South Park” or Randall Auxiers “Finding South Park on the Map: Officer Barbrady, Mayor McDaniel, and Chef in Platos Republic.” South Park and Philosophy presents new and thoughtful approaches to understanding this surprisingly meaningful show.