Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes | 
 enlarge | Authors: Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $12.00
Buy New: $6.08
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Rating:  125 reviews
Sales Rank: 1523
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 224
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7 x 4.8 x 0.7
ISBN: 0143113879
Dewey Decimal Number: 102.07
EAN: 9780143113874
ASIN: 0143113879
Publication Date: June 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: New Book! Excellent Condition! Usually ships same or next business day!
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Product Description
This New York Times bestseller is the hilarious philosophy course everyone wishes they d had in school
Outrageously funny, Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . . has been a breakout bestseller ever since authors and born vaudevillians Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein did their schtick on NPR s Weekend Edition. Lively, original, and powerfully informative, Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar . . . is a not-so-reverent crash course through the great philosophical thinkers and traditions, from Existentialism (What do Hegel and Bette Midler have in common?) to Logic (Sherlock Holmes never deduced anything). Philosophy 101 for those who like to take the heavy stuff lightly, this is a joy to read and finally, it all makes sense!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 120 more reviews...
 wonderful gift book November 16, 2008
Meredith Narissi (New York)
This is a wonderful book to enjoy and to give as a gift. It includes insights, wisdom, and great jokes!
"Intelligent and Hilarious!" in scare quotes! November 9, 2008
James M. Grindeland
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm a fourth year Ph.D. student in philosophy and I bought this book to see whether any of it was worth using in an Introduction to Philosophy course. But none of it is worth using for that purpose. The philosophical content in this book is just not up to par. It is so bad, it does every topic that it covers a grave injustice, being at best utterly superficial. The kick in the junk is that it isn't funny either.
I give it five stars, for two reasons. First, because then my review has a better chance of being read by potential buyers. Second, I am absolutely certain that there is an audience for this kind of crap. The crappy jokes will give some people the gut giggles. And the pathetic lack of content will make some people feel less dumb: for, since there's not much to it, there's not much to possibly misunderstand.
I agree with Wittgenstein that good, serious philosophy could be written consisting entirely of jokes. But, so far, this hasn't happened.
James Grindeland
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Philosophy
University of Georgia
 Understanding the jokes November 4, 2008
J. P. Judson
Our book club selection (9 people) for Oct. The members that were educated in these fields reveled on this book. Most of us weren't of that mindset, we did enjoy and shared our favorite or most meaningful joke. Those that understood high stars, others low marks so 3 stars and enjoy.
Philosphy can be hilarious October 16, 2008
Dr. John Laughlin (Glenn Dale, MD)
This is a very funny book with laugh out loud jokes that illustrate all the schools of philosophy, including meta-phlosophy: philosophy about philosophy, which, despite its name, does not invole drugs. You will learns something about these different branches that most of us would avoid like cow liver. You may even be inspired to take a class or read a more serious work. Me, I am going to read one of their other book.
John, author of reading Thomas Merton
Excellent. September 23, 2008
Ian Reves (Atlanta, GA USA)
I won't pretend for a moment I know a damn thing about philosophy, as much as I'd love to the esoteric barriers always seem just out reach for either my pedestrian intelligence or my patience, or both. This book, and its companion (Aristotle and an Aardvark) are both so enjoyable I read it completely while in the bookstore and still bought it. The authors appear to have a deeply rooted understanding of the nuances of philosophical thought and study yet present the material in such an approachable, understandable and humorous way one can't help but enjoy the process of learning. You WILL laugh and WILL learn.
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