February 4, 2015
This was a book that I purchased on Amazon with the gift card that my sister gave me for Christmas. There are apparently a number of these pop culture/philosophy type books, but this one appealed to me for obvious reasons: I'm a big South Park fan. Have been for years.
Now, the book isn't really about the show, but rather cites examples from it to help illustrate philosophical concepts. The chapters are written by various philosophy professors and experts. Some topics were more interesting and well-written than others. I liked the chapters on blasphemy, logic, existentialism, authority and legal philosophy, political philosophy, the ethics of vegetarianism, gender, evil, and personal identity. Phew! This book covers a lot of ground, but that only makes sense because the show does, too.
Since the book was published after only about half the series (the most recent episodes cited were from season 9, while the 19th season will premiere this year), I found myself thinking of more recent episodes that could be used in the arguments. I was surprised that season 9's "Marjorine" wasn't at least touched on in the gender/feminism chapter; "The Hobbit" would have fit in there very well. Funnybot would have been a topic for the chapter on artificial intelligence. The Mysterion-centered episodes would have perhaps negated the points made about Kenny's frequent deaths, as they established the reason for his immortality. I think updates to the book have been published, so these certainly would draw examples from more recent episodes. Anyway...
Philosophy in principle should appeal to me, and many of the ideas in this book did. I took Philosophy 101 as a freshman in college with a lot of expectations, and I ultimately hated it. I think one beef that I have is the tendency of some philosophers to explain what I think is obvious. I've always appreciated succinct arguments, and I felt that much of what I was assigned to read over explained many points. I guess the point of philosophy is to unpack ideas and really examine them, and maybe I just don't have time for that.
I did, however, appreciate the wide variety of philosophical ideas touched on in this book. The chapter on gay marriage seemed a bit out of place, as it didn't really cite any philosophical ideas in it, but rather made a logical argument for gay marriage by following philosophical principles. The last chapter on Satan was kind of sloppily written. Otherwise, this book got me interested in exploring more philosophical ideas, as many famous works and philosophers in history were mentioned throughout.
I don't think this book gave me more appreciation for the show. Anybody who appreciates South Park knows that it's about so much more than crude humor. I do, however, have a better understanding of Parker and Stone's worldview. I tend to find myself agreeing with the points that they make on various issues on the show. The world is often ridiculous, but rather than despair, Parker and Stone choose to laugh at it. We could all learn something today from South Park.
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