Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein

Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein

Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar is an overview of philosophy described through a series of gags, jokes, quotes, and short vignettes. It is more amusing than funny. The book was enjoyable and relaxing to read.

The reader learns about metaphysics, logic, epistemology, ethics, and other subjects as they may have been taught by Woody Allen or Groucho Marx. On the books cover, there is a quote by Groucho Marx, "These are my principles. If you don't like them I have others."

Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein use a lot of counterpoint and one liners. A good example of this from Pp. 64 is:

Secretary: Doctor, there's an invisible man in the waiting room.

Doctor: Tell him I can't see him.

There are a lot of philosophers covered. Almost all of them are western philosophers; Plato, Leibniz, Kant, Sigmund Freud, Pascal, Heidegger, and others. The authors briefly mention Confucius and Mary Wollstonecraft.

Each chapter has several single panel cartoons, snippets of dialogue, quotes from famous people, and brief philosophical definitions. There is a timeline of philosophers at the end of the book, a glossary of philosophical terms, and an index.

This is a pleasant way to spend some evenings reading. I liked the book enough to read the followup, Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through The Pearly Gates Using Philosophy (And Jokes) to Explore, Life, Death, The Afterlife, and Everything In Between.