Wayne Yuen

Rachel Luria

Tracy Lyn Bealer

Eight philosophers discuss the works of the best-selling novelist and reveal their thoughts on the intersection of fantasy and reality and whether the unknown is as real as the known.

Gods Gone Wild!

Neil Gaiman and Philosophy

Lester C. Abesamis

A dysfunctional group of philosophers and thinkers have created a book that will drag readers across the multiverse, through fractures in time, and down into philosophical depths that have never been reached by merely considering an irreverent sci-fi cartoon like Rick and Morty.

In the Beginning Was the Squanch

Rick and Morty and Philosophy

Offers a selection of essays using the popular graphic novel and television program, providing a humorous look at the study of philosophy and philosophical topics.

Zombie Apocalypse Now

The Walking Dead and Philosophy

In Are You Just Braaaiiinnnsss or Something More?, British Columbia-based philosopher Gordon Hawkes compares the zombies of The Walking Dead with the zombies philosophers argue about. Debate about whether zombies could possibly exist has been a hot topic in philosophy of mind over the last thirty years, though as Hawkes points out, these are not quite the same as the walkers in Robert Kirkman’s epic tale. Philosophical zombies, or P-zombies for short, are beings who look and behave exactly like humans but have no inner mental life—no consciousness. Philosophers have lined up on both sides of this disputed proposition, and no agreement is yet in sight. A related question is how much consciousness is possessed by the walkers of The Walking Dead, and whether these shambling walkers are entitled to any moral consideration. Hawkes’s piece is one of twenty chapters in The Walking Dead and Philosophy, edited by Wayne Yuen, in which philosophers draw fascinating and disturbing conclusions from The Walking Dead comics and TV show. The Walking Dead and Philosophy explores not only the nature of zombies, but the nature of human society as revealed by the impact of a zombie apocalypse.

A Pre-release Sample Chapter from The Walking Dead and Philosophy

Are You Just Braaaiiinnnsss or Something More?

In The Walking Dead, human beings are pushed to their limits by a zombie apocalypse and have to decide what really matters. Good and evil, freedom and slavery, when one life has to be sacrificed for another, even the nature of religion—all the ultimate questions of human existence are posed afresh as the old society crumbles away and a new form of society emerges, with new beliefs and new rules. The Ultimate Walking Dead and Philosophy brings together twenty philosophers with different perspectives on the imagined world of this addictive TV show. How can we keep our humanity when faced with such extreme life-or-death choices? Did Dr. Jenner do the right thing in committing suicide, when all hope seemed to be lost? Does the Governor, as the new Machiavelli, prove that willingness to repeatedly commit murder is the best technique for getting and keeping political power? Why do most characters place such importance on keeping particular individuals alive, especially children? What can we learn about reality from Rick’s haunting hallucinations?

The Ultimate Walking Dead and Philosophy

The adult-oriented science-fiction cartoon series Rick and Morty, shown on Cartoon Network as part of its late-night Adult Swim feature, is famous for its nihilistic anti-hero Rick Sanchez. Rick is a character who rejects God, religion, and meaning, but who embraces science and technology. This leads to a popular show that often presents a world view favorable to science and dismissive of spirituality. It is existentialism mashed up with absurdism with a healthy (or unhealthy) dose of dick jokes thrown in. Rick and Morty and Philosophy focuses on the philosophical underpinnings of the show. The authors explain and develop ideas that are mentioned or illustrated in various episodes, so that fans can get really solid evidence for what they know already: this show is awesome and deep. Rick has access to technology that allows him to jump between dimensions or realities. He brings his grandson, Morty, along with him on these adventures, often putting Morty in mortal danger. However, Rick’s attitude is that there are an infinite number of Mortys in the multiverse, so if his Morty dies, he can always replace his Morty with another Morty from a different dimension. One question that arises is, are these Mortys really identical to each other? And if one of them dies, can he really be replaced without loss? Another character in the show is Jerry, the husband of Rick’s daughter. Jerry is a complete and total loser with no self-respect, desperate to get any kind of respect from others. Why is it so important that he has self-respect? How does his lack of self-respect affect those around him? In one adventure, Jerry finds himself in a position where he can save one of the greatest civil rights leaders in the universe whose heart is failing. Jerry can save his life by donating his penis, which is the perfect organ to match the alien’s failing heart. Does Jerry have a moral obligation to do so? Recently, ethicists such as Peter Singer and Julian Savulescu have argued that people have a moral obligation to donate a kidney to people who need one. Why wouldn’t the same apply to Jerry’s penis? Is such a donation above and beyond a moral obligation, and consequently optional, or is it a basic moral obligation and therefore required, as noted ethicists like Singer and Savulescu suggest? This volume also includes chapters that examine the experience of watching Rick and Morty. One writer argues that many of the Rick and Morty episodes induce within viewers a state of “Socratic aporia,” or confusion. Viewers are forced to reflect on their own moral beliefs about the world when characters do something that seems good but results in horrendous consequences.

Tracy L. Bealer

Neil Gaiman is the imaginative wizard behind the best-selling novels American Gods (soon to be an HBO series) and The Anansi Boys, the graphic series The Sandman, and popular children’s books like Coraline and The Graveyard Book. Neil Gaiman and Philosophy looks at Gaiman’s work through a philosophical lens. How does fantasy interact with reality and what can each tell us about the other? Do we each have other selves who embody different personal qualities? If the unknown influences the known, is the unknown just as real as the known? What makes people truly valuable? In Neil Gaiman and Philosophy, eighteen philosophers explore Gaiman’s best-loved and unforgettable worlds: The Graveyard Book, a macabre parallel to The Jungle Book, in which the boy Bod is raised by the supernatural inhabitants of a graveyard. Coraline, in which a girl neglected by her parents finds another world with an Other Mother who pays her a lot of attention, but then turns out to be evil and won’t let her go. Neverwhere, in which a London man discovers a magical parallel city, London Below. The Sandman, best-selling comic books in which the Lord of Dreams attempts to rebuild his kingdom after years of imprisonment. Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett) treats biblical prophecy, the Antichrist, and the End Times as a hilarious comic tale, filled with sly but good-humored twists and turns. MirrorMask, where a young circus girl finds that the pictures she has drawn have given her access to a fantastic world of light and shadow, populated with characters who have designs on her.

Wayne Yuen

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