Philosophy and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Special 30% Discount for APA Members
Edited by Nicholas Joll
July 2012 | Paperback | 9780230291126 | 324 pages
In partnership with the American Philosophical Association, members can now order this book with 30% discount by entering the code PM14THIRTY at the check out stage. Follow the link below the jacket image to purchase your copy.*
* Special price only available until 31st December 2014.
About the book
This is the 'philosophy and. .' book that really needed to be written – because it is about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. For (to paraphrase the great man himself) Hitchhiker's is not above a little philosophy in the same way that the sea is not above the sky. Moreover: this edited collection combines accessibility – and some humour – with rigour. It contains an introduction, nine chapters, a glossary, and multiple indexes. Topics covered include the meaning of life (and '42'), vegetarianism, the ethics of entertainment, artificial intelligence, multiple worlds, God, and philosophical method.
Contents
Acknowledgements ('thanks for all the fish')
Introduction Nicholas Joll
Notes on Contributors
PART I: ETHICS
'Eat Me': Vegetarianism and Consenting Animals; B.Saunders & E.Harding
Mostly Harmless? Hitchhiker's and the Ethics of Entertainment; N.Joll
PART II: THE MEANING OF LIFE
Life, the Universe, and Absurdity; A.Kind
The Wowbagger Case: Immortality and What Makes Life Meaningful; T.Chappell
PART III: METAPHYSICS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
'I Think You Ought To Know I'm Feeling Very Depressed': Marvin and Artificial Intelligence; J.Goodenough
From Deep Thought to Digital Metaphysics; B.Dainton
PART IV: LOGIC, METHOD, AND SATIRE
'God . . Promptly Vanishes in a Puff of Logic'; M.Friend
The Judo Principle, Philosophical Method, and the Logic of Jokes; A.Aberdein
The Funniest of All Improbable Worlds – Hitchhiker's as Philosophical Satire; A.Pawlak & N.Joll
Glossary
Bibliography (of Adams, Philosophy, and Everything)
Indexes
Author biography
NICHOLAS JOLL has taught philosophy at several universities including the University of Hertfordshire, UK, where he is currently a Visiting Lecturer, and the Open University, UK. His publications include several papers on the philosophy of T.W Adorno and two pieces on the philosophy of philosophy.