The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer

The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer is a book analyzing the philosophy and popular culture effects of The Simpsons, published by Open Court Publishing Company. The title is a satirical allusion to the Chinese philosophical work, the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu. The book is edited by William Irwin, Mark T. Conard and Aeon J. Skoble, each of whom also wrote one of the eighteen essays in the book.

The book was released on February 28, 2001, as the second volume of Open Court Publishing's Popular Culture and Philosophy series, which currently includes thirty-three books. The book has gone on to be extremely successful, both in sales and critically, and is also used as a main text in various universities with philosophy courses.

Contents

The book includes contributions from eighteen academics in the field of philosophy. Topics included are comparisons of the characters in the show, such as Homer Simpson and Aristotle, or Bart Simpson and Nietzsche.

Other topics include the manner in which the show makes philosophical statements, and its opinions on sexuality in politics. Religion is also discussed in the book, such as the guilt Homer feels for not going to church, or Ned Flanders experiencing tragedies, despite following the Bible closely.

Reception

The book was highly successful, selling over 203,000 copies, making it the best selling book in the Open Court Publishing's Popular Culture and Philosophy series. such as Booklist, who wrote, "[...]these pieces make erudite concepts accessible by viewing things through the lens of a great cartoon series," or Publishers Weekly who wrote, "Fans of The Simpsons are certain to find this book to be the perfect rebuttal for those who dismiss the show as a no-brainer."

The book has been used as an aid in many universities to help teach philosophy, with some having the book as the main text book for the course.

References

Real-world books

Annuals Bart Simpson Annuals (Bart Simpson Annual 2011 • Bart Simpson Annual 2012 • Bart Simpson 2013 Annual • Bart Simpson 2014 Annual • Bart Simpson 2015 Annual) • The Simpsons Annual 1992 • The Simpsons Annuals (The Simpsons Annual 2010 • The Simpsons Annual 2011 • The Simpsons Annual 2012 • The Simpsons 2013 Annual • The Simpsons Annual 2014 • The Simpsons Annual 2015 • Simpsons Comics 2016 Annual • Simpsons Comics 2017 Annual • Simpsons Comics 2018 Annual) HarperCollins Bart Simpson's Guide to Life • Greetings from the Simpsons (1990) • Greetings from the Simpsons (2007) • Making Faces with The Simpsons: A Book of Masks • The Simpsons Guide to Springfield • The Simpsons Handbook • The Simpsons Rainy Day Fun Book • The Simpsons Fun in the Sun Book • The Simpsons Ultra-Jumbo Rain-or-Shine Fun Book • The Simpsons Uncensored Family Album • Simpsons World the Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1-20 • The Simpsons Xmas Book Magic series The Simpsons Magic Felt Tip Fun Book • The Simpsons Magic Paint and Colour Book • The Simpsons Magic Sticker Fun Book • The Simpsons Magic Trace and Colour Book Maggie Simpson series Maggie Simpson's Alphabet Book • Maggie Simpson's Book of Animals • Maggie Simpson's Book of Colors and Shapes • Maggie Simpson's Counting Book The Simpsons Forever! The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family • The Simpsons Forever! • The Simpsons Beyond Forever! • The Simpsons: One Step Beyond Forever! • The Ultimate Simpsons in a Big Ol' Box The Simpsons Library of Wisdom The Bart Book • The Book of Moe • Chief Wiggum's Book of Crime and Punishment • Comic Book Guy's Book of Pop Culture • Flanders' Book of Faith • The Homer Book • The Krusty Book • The Lisa Book • The Marge Book • The Ralph Wiggum Book Vault of Simpsonology Bart Simpson's Manual of Mischief • Homer Simpson's Little Book of Laziness • C. Montgomery Burns' Handbook of World Domination • Lisa Simpson's Guide to Geek Chic • Grampa Simpson's Guide to Aging • Bartman: The Hero's Handbook Other Cartooning with The Simpsons • Leaving Springfield • My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy • Planet Simpson • The Psychology of The Simpsons • Selections from The Simpsons: Testify • Simpson Mania • The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer • The Simpsons: A Cultural History • The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets • The Simpsons Facts Book • The Simpsons Family History • The Simpsons in the Classroom: Embiggening the Learning Experience with the Wisdom of Springfield • The Simpsons Jigsaw Book • The Simpsons Poster Book • The Simpsons Radio Activity Pack • The Simpsons School Survival Guidebook • The Simpsons Sing the Blues • The Simpsons Songbook • The Simpsons: A Slightly Bent Colouring Book! • The Simpsons: A Very Skewed Colouring Book! • The Simpsons: The Springfield Collection II • The Simpsons: Sticker Activity Album • The Simpsons Movie • The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History • Springfield Confidential • The World According to The Simpsons