Bøger i Popular Culture & Philosophy serien

From the early years, when he morphed from celebrated poet to provocative singer/songwriter, to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Leonard Cohen has endured as one of the most enigmatic and profound figures in all of popular music. With his uniquely compelling voice and unparalleled depth of artistic vision, the aesthetic quality and intellectual merit of Cohen’s work are above dispute; here, for the first time, a team of philosophers takes an in-depth look at its real significance.Want to know what Cohen and Kierkegaard have in common? Or whether Cohen rivals the great philosophical pessimist Schopenhauer? Then this book is for you. It provides the first thorough analysis of Cohen from various (philosophical) positions. It is intended not only for Cohen fans but also undergraduates in philosophy and other areas. It explores important neglected aspects of Cohen’s work without attempting to reduce them to academic tropes, yet nonetheless it is also useful to academics — or anyone — beguiled by the enigma that is Leonard Cohen.

Genetic engineering is changing humans, animals, and plants, raising new questions about the morality of such interventions. Planet of the Apes is the most resonant of all scientific apocalypse myths. This book looks at all the deeper issues involved in the Planet of the Apes stories.

By many accounts, HBO's The Wire was and remains the greatest and most important television drama of all time. The Wire was able to reveal the overlapping, criss-crossing, and colliding realities that shape - if not control - the people, institutions, and culture of the modern American city. This book celebrates this show's realism.

Adventure Time and Philosophy is a monster-beating, wild ride of philosophical mayhem. One of the deepest and most thoughtful television shows ever to assault human brain waves, Adventure Time shows us what the world could be like, challenging everything we know about life, meaning, heroism, and even burritos, and it's time to give the show some serious thought. This book screws open our cranial lids, mucks about in the mess that is our heads, and attempts to come to some answers about the nature of reality. Adventure Time and Philosophy is a chance to put down your broadsword, put your exhausted monster-slaying feet up, and try to figure out why you spend your time rescuing people in distress and fighting for justice. Who better than Finn and Jake to have as companions when taking on Plato, Nietzsche, and Baudrillard or encountering the Slime Princess, the Ice King, and Marceline the Vampire Queen? Filled with chapters written by a colorful cast of characters, Adventure Time and Philosophy enlightens us about the profound and life-affirming spiritual subtext and dark comedic elements of an awesomely fantastic show.

Since its debut in 1964, "Jeopardy!" has been one of America's favorite and longest-running daytime quiz shows. It turns the question-answer format of traditional quiz shows on its head and requires contestants to pose correct questions to answers in selected categories. While mining information and facts from Alchemy to Zoology, "Jeopardy!," is a uniquely intellectual, erudite, and challenging daytime television program. Far beyond entertaining its fans with nail-biting contests of knowledge, memory, and speed, it all but requires them to participate. Few people watch "Jeopardy!" without pressing an invisible button and blurting out questions to their TV screen. Because of this personal and intellectual investment, most "Jeopardy!" fans are devout. Watching the show is valued as a daily ritual in which genuine intellectual skill and encyclopedic knowledge (as opposed to thin Hollywood depictions such as those in "Big Bang Theory" or "Rain Man") are not only respected and placed in the spotlight, but also rewarded with national prestige and prize winnings. Champion Ken Jennings (who contributes to this volume) has won over three million dollars and remained champion seventy-four times. For those who embrace "Jeopardy!" as an intellectual oasis in the arid desert of popular culture, it is the geeks who shall inherit the earth. "Jeopardy!"'s celebration of intellect and forward-thinking is well recognized throughout popular culture and among all age groups. Ken Jennings, Chuck Forrest, and other all-time champions are near celebrities, while the show itself regularly reaches out through special tournaments to different segments of American culture, such as actors and musicians ("Celebrity Jeopardy!"), high-school and college students ("Teen Tournament and College Championship Jeopardy!") and senior citizens ("Senior Tournament Jeopardy!"). Still, despite its widespread respect and, some might complain, smug self-respect, neither the show nor its fans take themselves too seriously. Jokes about host Alex Trebek's hair and famous parodies of "Jeopardy!" on "Saturday Night Live" are as familiar as Weird Al Yankovic's MTV-mainstay "I Lost on Jeopardy!" (to the tune of "Our Love's in Jeopardy"): Don't know what I was thinkin' of, I guess I just wasn't too bright.Well, I sure hope I do betterNext weekend on "The Price Is Right."