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Family Guy and Philosophy - Book Review
By Jason Cangialosi of Associated Content
What can we really learn about philosophy from the absurd antics of television's Family Guy?The presumption of such a book like Family Guy and Philosophy seems to imply that 200 pages of philosophical ramblings will enlighten us. The contributing essayists of Family Guy and Philosophy, much like the show's writers, are modest philosophers in their own right, that don't take their insightful brilliance too seriously. Each of the 17 essays in Family Guy and Philosophy draws from, and sometimes stretches, connections between philosophers and Seth MacFarlane's nuclear family set on pop-culture spin cycle. As Family Guy and Philosophy's subtitle hints, it is a "Cure for the Petarded", and innocent viewers risk losing the show's Petarded humor in favor of philosophy's curse. Laughing hysterically at the Griffin family's latest exploits in demented dysfunctions, one doesn't often search for life's lessons. Humor is a subtle teacher, but Family Guy doesn't use humor in a way that, say, Shakespeare might. Though, Family Guy and Philosophy makes a solid, yet self-critical, stance that the show has galvanized an epic ridiculing of pop-culture and how television shapes social norms. It is a rare opportunity to philosophically deconstruct life's absurdities with anecdotes from a warped reality like Family Guy. Rare, in the sense that philosophy usually entails trudging through some somber thoughts in order to laugh in the face of ethics, love, death and chickens with a mean left hook. With Family Guy and Philosophy we can first laugh in the face of life's troublesome ideas and then attempt to understand them. This last point is important to note should you even consider turning a page of Family Guy and Philosophy. By watching the show and bathing in its splendidly distasteful wise cracks you've already laughed in the face of society with philosophers. You've joined a chorus of pop-culture junkies who sing the praise of "kill your television", but only during the commercial breaks. For some, the book provides about as much knowledge as Peter's fatherly mishaps provide for the Griffin family; pure confusion. With such viewers, Family Guy is just ridiculously funny and provides a new twist on an overused television format. It's as simple as Manatees pushing cultural references on colorful balls across a fish tank that feeds a joke lottery, (South Park's dis of Family Guy). Now, if you can think outside of the fish tank, Family Guy is laughing in the face of humor itself, and the book can reveal why we are laughing.
This intel first appeared on: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/838681/family_guy_and_phil...
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