BuzzFlash Reviews

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS

A surprise bestseller that is a rarity -- corny and fascinating all at the same time.

Would anyone think that two '60s Harvard philosophy graduates would be able to put together a book that explains philosophy through humor -- some of it deserving a snare drum beat at the end -- that is dead on delightful?

As one online reviewer notes:

In a section on Aristotle contrasting between "essential" and "accidental" properties, Cathcar and Klein offer this illustrative joke:

When Thompson hit 70, he decided to change his lifestyle completely so he could live longer. He went on a strict diet, he jogged, he swam and he took sunbaths.

In just three months' time, Thompson lost 30 pounds and reduced his waist by six inches. Svelte and tan, he decided to top it off with a new haircut. Stepping out of the barbershop, he was hit by a bus.

As he lay dying, he cried out, "God, how could you do this to me?" [ba-ba boom]

And a voice from the heavens responded: "To tell you the truth, Thompson, I didn't recognize you."

We laugh - why? The answer to the question 'why' gives us understanding about philosophy, ourselves, and the world around us. [end of online reviewer excerpt]

Or did you hear the one about the shadow in Plato's cave?

Heck, every now and then we need a rest from a world gone mad.

So, how can you not end up smiling as you read through a book that is part Henny Youngman meets Socrates?

But, remember, these guys are not making a joke of philosophy. They are actually illuminating it through humor.

Hard to pull off, but they surprisingly do.

And that is why it is an unexpected runaway hit.

The Harvard Alumni Magazine writes of the authors and their collaborative book:

From their freshman year in college they were inseparable pals, once called �the Mutt and Jeff of post-Kantian idealism.� That epithet somehow failed to catch on, even though both were philosophy concentrators and Tom Cathcart �61 and Daniel Klein �61 do stand six-foot-five and five-foot-eight, respectively. Both studied with Paul Tillich and Willard van Orman Quine, and took a junior tutorial with classmate and current U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Together they bucked the fashion of Harvard�s philosophy department, which considered existentialism softheaded, and got onto a jag of existential ethics for a time. �We were going around being obnoxious about what was an �authentic� life versus an �inauthentic� life,� says Klein.

Nearly half a century later, those epistemological theories, truth tables, and falsifiable propositions have borne fruit in Cathcart and Klein�s new book, Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy through Jokes (Abrams). Consider it Philosophy 101 as taught by Jackie Mason. A philosophical fallacy like post hoc ergo propter hoc�assigning a causal role to something simply because it preceded something else�becomes more engaging when illustrated:

A New York boy is being led through the swamps of Louisiana by his cousin. �Is it true that an alligator won�t attack you if you carry a flashlight?� asks the city boy.

His cousin replies, �Depends on how fast you carry the flashlight.�

Philosophy and humor �do spring from a common enterprise: taking a common wisdom and flipping it on its head,� Klein argues. The brief, highly accessible book romps through metaphysics, logic, epistemology, and ethics, and includes chapters on philosophy of religion and language, all studded with references to films, songs, current events, and anecdotes. It informs us that even though Sherlock Holmes is celebrated for his �deductions,� he generally used not deductive but inductive logic�carefully observing the situation, then generalizing from his prior experience using analogy and probability. Take the time, for example, when:

Holmes and Watson are on a camping trip. In the middle of the night Holmes wakes up and gives Dr. Watson a nudge. �Watson,� he says, �look up at the sky and tell me what you see.�

�I see millions of stars, Holmes,� says Watson.

�And what do you conclude from that, Watson?�

Watson thinks for a moment. �Well,� he says, �astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I expect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I see that God is all-powerful, and that we are small and insignificant. Uh, what does it tell you, Holmes?�

�Watson, you idiot! Someone has stolen our tent!�


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