Much philosophical work on pop culture apologises for its use; using popular culture is a necessary evil, something merely useful for reaching the masses with important philosophical arguments. But works of pop culture are important in their own right--they shape worldviews, inspire ideas, change minds. We wouldn't baulk at a book dedicated to examining the philosophy of The Great Gatsby or 1984--why aren't Star Trek and Superman fair game as well? After all, when produced, the former were considered pop culture just as much as the latter. This will be the first major reference work to right that wrong, gathering together entries on film, television, games, graphic novels and comedy, and officially recognizing the importance of the field. It will be the go-to resource for students and researchers in philosophy, culture, media and communications, English and history and will act as a springboard to introduce the reader to the other key literature in the field.
Author Biography:
David Kyle Johnson is a professor of philosophy at King’s College (PA) who earned his Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma and specializes in metaphysics, philosophy of religion, and scientific/critical reasoning. He also produces lecture series for Wondrium’s The Great Courses (such as Sci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy, The Big Questions of Philosophy, and Exploring Metaphysics) and has published in journals such as Sophia, Religious Studies, Think, Philo, Religions, SHERM (Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry), and Science, Religion and Culture. In addition to other duties, he regularly contributes chapters to and edits volumes for Blackwell’s Philosophy and Pop Culture series (such as Black Mirror and Philosophy: Dark Reflections), and also co-edited Introducing Philosophy through Popular Culture with the series editor William Irwin. He maintains two blogs for Psychology Today: Plato on Pop and A Logical Take.
Dean A. Kowalski is a professor of philosophy and chair of the Arts & Humanities Department in the College of General Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He specializes in the philosophy of religion and metaphysics and he has published articles in such academic journals as Religious Studies and Philosophy and Theology. He regularly teaches philosophy of religion, Asian philosophy, and ethics.
Dean has written extensively on philosophy and popular culture—both philosophy in popular culture and popular culture as philosophy—specializing in film and television. He has published articles in The Journal of Whedon Studies and Film and Philosophy, and more than thirty book chapters in volumes dedicated to popular culture. He is the author of Joss Whedon as Philosopher (2017), Classic Questions and Contemporary Film, 2nd edition (2016) and Moral Theory at the Movies (2012). He is the editor of Indiana Jones and Philosophy (2023), The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy (2012), The Philosophy of The X-Files, revised edition (2009), and Steven Spielberg and Philosophy (2008), and he is the coeditor of The Philosophy of Joss Whedon (2011).
Christopher Lay earned his PhD from the University of Georgia in 2018 and has held teaching positions at UGA, the University of Texas at El Paso, and Young Harris College in northeast Georgia. Currently, he runs the YHC philosophy program as Assistant Professor of Philosophy, offering courses like Science Fiction and Philosophy, Video Games as Philosophy, and Feminism in Horror Films. Chris specializes in metaphysics--especially issues of personal identity and mereology--and the philosophy of popular culture generally, and he has published in numerous "pop culture" volumes that bring the two subjects together.
Kimberly S. Engels is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Molloy University. She received her PhD in philosophy from Marquette University in 2017. Her research interests include existentialism, Native American philosophy, philosophy and pop culture, and UAP studies. She is the editor of The Good Place and Philosophy: Everything is Forking Fine! and co-editor of Westworld and Philosophy: If You Go Looking for the Truth, Get the Whole Thing.
