South Park and Philosophy

By: Richard Hanley

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Synopsis: Trey Parker and Matt Stone's long-running Comedy Central hit cartoon South Park has been equally cheered and reviled for its edgy humor, poited satire of current events and celebrities, and all-around obnoxiousness. But is there more to Kyle, the lonely Jew, Timmy and the Crips, Cartman's bitchiness, Chef's inappropriate advice, and Kenny's continued violent deaths than meets the eye? This collection of essays affirms that possibility. Individual chapters take a sometimes witty, often provocative look at "Is South Park a Libertarian Manifesto?", "That's So Gay!", and "Why Is Cartman Such an Asshole?". The writers apply classical philosophical analysis to this two-dimensional dystopia, whether in Paul Draper's "Why Good Things Happen to Bad People - The Problem of Evil in South Park" or Randall Auxier's "Finding South Park on the Map: Officer Barbrady, Mayor McDaniel, and Chef in Plato's Republic." South Park and Philosophy presents new and thoughtful approaches to understanding this surprisingly meaningful show.