Maybe read the jokes first and then go back and fill in the blanks with the explanations.

I have to admit that there were times when I had to set the book aside because I found my mind wandering. There are also cute one pane comics to bring important points home at the end of sections. The jokes come in a bold sans-serif font.

Further explanations are given in a standard looking serif font. Broad sweeping statements about a given subject are in brown serif text. The book is even color coded to quickly let the reader know what is being covered. If read slowly and thoroughly, one can learn a solid foundation of the important principals of philosophy. this book is also a very solid introduction to philosophy and logic. The jokes come in handy for the random reading approach.īut. It's one of those books that is nice to hold, nice to flip through and nice to read random snippets from. Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Catchart and Daniel Klein is a beautifully constructed and deceptively short book. As you'd expect from two philosophy nerds discussing how jokes are philosophy and vice versa. Although not all of them made me chuckle, they all had a tongue-in-cheek nerdy vibe about them. The theory is illustrated through real-life examples that most people can relate to jokes. It is not a textbook, and it would be most enjoyable to someone looking for a brief overview of different philosophical ideas, or to someone who already has a basic understanding of philosophy and would enjoy the jokes, stories, and contemporary examples. The book is divided into ten sections, each of which covers a significant philosophical approach or field, such as Metaphysics, Ethics, or Existentialism, and addresses each one in a lighthearted manner. Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar is a fun read for anyone interested in learning about a few basic philosophical topics, made much more fun by the delivery in the form of jokes, followed by a brief description. The rationalist says, “This glass is twice as big as it needs The pessimist says, “The glass is half empty.” The optimist says, “The glass is half full.” The joke clarifies the obvious truth that optimism and pessimism are personal attitudes that have nothing to do with Leibniz’s neutral, rational description of the world. 'From Leibniz’s rationalist perspective, the world simply

Philosophy through jokes