Entertainment Weekly
Wish we'd had this in college.


Nicholas Rescher, University of Pittsburgh
Here is the answer to the prayers of Seinfeld aficionados who love philosophy and philosophy aficionados who love Seinfeld. And, thanks to reruns, the Owl of Minerva is not too late.


Ray Perkins, author of Logic and Mr. Limbaugh
Brilliant. . . nicely illustrates how the comic can illuminate the profound.


Kenny Kramer, the "real" Kramer
Seinfeld and Philosophy is a fascinating read. I just thought the show was funny. Who knew there was so much more involved?


Book Description
Designed for philosophers as well as readers with no particular philosophical background, the essays in this lively book are grouped into four amusing acts. Act One looks at the four Seinfeld characters through a philosophical lens and includes Jerry and Socrates: The Examined Life? Act Two examines historical philosophers from a Seinfeldian standpoint and offers Plato or Nietzsche? Time, Essence, and Eternal Recurrence in Seinfeld. Act Three, Untimely Meditations by the Water Cooler, explores philosophical issues raised by the show, such as, Is it rational for George to do the opposite? And Act Four, Is There Anything Wrong with That?, discusses ethical problems of everyday life using Seinfeld as a basis. Seinfeld and Philosophy also provides a guide to Seinfeld episodes and a chronological list of the philosophers cited in this book.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

How is Jerry like Socrates? Is Elaine a feminist? What would Aristotle have thought of George? Is Kramer stuck in Kierkegaard's aesthetic stage of life?

Seinfeld was the most popular sitcom of the 1990s--and the most philosophical sitcom of all time. Both praised and damned as a "show about nothing," Seinfeld does indeed have something to tell us about the metaphysics of Nothingness. It also sheds light on other philosophical topics, notably what it takes to live "the moral life."

In Seinfeld and Philosophy, thirteen Seinfeld fans who happen to be professional philosophers examine the ideas, the stories, the jokes, and the characters of Seinfeld. This is a quick, entertaining view of philosophy, whether as a first taste, a refresher course, or a regular stop on one's "eternal return." It's also a treat for the real Seinfeld aficionado, even one with no prior interest in philosophy--not that there's anything wrong with that.

FROM THE CRITICS

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