Table of Contents
Popular Culture and Philosophy Series Editor: George A. Reisch
VOLUME 1
Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book
about Everything and Nothing
(2000)
VOLUME 2
The Simpsons and Philosophy: The
Doh! of Homer (2001)
VOLUME 3
The Matrix and Philosophy:
Welcome to the Desert of the Real
(2002)
VOLUME 4
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and
Philosophy: Fear and Trembling
in Sunnydale (2003)
VOLUME 5
The Lord of the Rings and
Philosophy: One Book to Rule
Them All (2003)
VOLUME 6
Baseball and Philosophy:
Thinking Outside the Batters Box
(2004)
VOLUME 7
The Sopranos and Philosophy:
I Kill Therefore I Am (2004)
VOLUME 8
Woody Allen and Philosophy:
You Mean My Whole Fallacy Is
Wrong? (2004)
VOLUME 9
Harry Potter and Philosophy:
If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts (2004)
VOLUME 10
Mel Gibsons Passion and
Philosophy: The Cross, the
Questions, the Controversy
(2004)
VOLUME 11
More Matrix and Philosophy:
Revolutions and Reloaded
Decoded (2005)
VOLUME 12
Star Wars and Philosophy:
More Powerful than You Can
Possibly Imagine (2005)
VOLUME 13
Superheroes and Philosophy:
Truth, Justice, and the Socratic
Way (2005)
VOLUME 14
The Atkins Diet and Philosophy:
Chewing the Fat with Kant and
Nietzsche (2005)
VOLUME 15
The Chronicles of Narnia
and Philosophy: The Lion, the
Witch, and the Worldview
(2005)
VOLUME 16
Hip Hop and Philosophy: Rhyme 2
Reason (2005)
VOLUME 17
Bob Dylan and Philosophy: Its
Alright Ma (Im Only Thinking)
(2006)
VOLUME 18
Harley-Davidson and Philosophy:
Full-Throttle Aristotle (2006)
Edited by Bernard E. Rollin,
Carolyn M. Gray, Kerri Mommer,
and Cynthia Pineo
VOLUME 19
Monty Python and Philosophy:
Nudge Nudge, Think Think! (2006)
Edited by Gary L. Hardcastle and
George A Reisch
VOLUME 20
Poker and Philosophy: Pocket
Rockets and Philosopher Kings
(2006) Edited by Eric Bronson
VOLUME 21
U2 and Philosophy: How to
Decipher an Atomic Band (2006)
Edited by Mark A. Wrathall
VOLUME 22
The Undead and Philosophy:
Chicken Soup for the Soulless
(2006) Edited by Richard Greene
and K. Silem Mohammad
VOLUME 23
James Bond and Philosophy:
Questions Are Forever (2006)
Edited by James B. South and
Jacob M. Held
VOLUME 24
Bullshit and Philosophy:
Guaranteed to Get Perfect Results
Every Time (2006) Edited by Gary
L. Hardcastle and George A.
Reisch
VOLUME 25
The Beatles and Philosophy:
Nothing You Can Think that
Cant Be Thunk (2006)
Edited by Michael Baur and
Steven Baur
VOLUME 26
South Park and Philosophy:
Bigger, Longer, and More
Penetrating (2007) Edited by
Richard Hanley
VOLUME 27
Hitchcock and Philosophy:
Dial M for Metaphysics (2007)
Edited by David Baggett and
William A. Drumin
VOLUME 28
The Grateful Dead and
Philosophy: Getting High Minded
about Love and Haight (2007)
Edited by Steven Gimbel
VOLUME 29
Quentin Tarantino and
Philosophy: How to Philosophize
with a Pair of Pliers and a
Blowtorch (2007) Edited by
Richard Greene and K. Silem
Mohammad
VOLUME 30
Pink Floyd and Philosophy:
Careful with that Axiom,
Eugene! (2007) Edited by George
A. Reisch
VOLUME 31
Johnny Cash and Philosophy:
The Burning Ring of Truth (2008)
Edited by John Huss and David
Werther
VOLUME 32
Bruce Springsteen and Philosophy:
Darkness on the Edge of Truth
(2008) Edited by Randall E. Auxier
and Doug Anderson
VOLUME 33
Battlestar Galactica and
Philosophy: Mission Accomplished
or Mission Frakked Up? (2008)
Edited by Josef Steiff and Tristan
D. Tamplin
VOLUME 34
iPod and Philosophy: iCon of an
ePoch (2008) Edited by D.E.
Wittkower
VOLUME 35
Star Trek and Philosophy: The
Wrath of Kant (2008) Edited by
Jason T. Eberl and Kevin S.
Decker
VOLUME 36
The Legend of Zelda and
Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am
(2008) Edited by Luke Cuddy
VOLUME 37
The Wizard of Oz and Philosophy:
Wicked Wisdom of the West (2008)
Edited by Randall E. Auxier and
Phillip S. Seng
VOLUME 38
Radiohead and Philosophy: Fitter
Happier More Deductive (2009)
Edited by Brandon W. Forbes and
George A. Reisch
VOLUME 39
Jimmy Buffett and Philosophy:
The Porpoise Driven Life (2009)
Edited by Erin McKenna and Scott
L. Pratt
VOLUME 40
Transformers and Philosophy
(2009) Edited by John Shook and
Liz Stillwaggon Swan
VOLUME 41
Stephen Colbert and Philosophy: I
Am Philosophy (And So Can You!)
(2009) Edited by Aaron Allen
Schiller
IN PREPARATION:
Supervillains and Philosophy
(2009) Edited by Ben Dyer
The Golden Compass and
Philosophy (2009) Edited by
Richard Greene and Rachel
Robison
Led Zeppelin and Philosophy
(2009) Edited by Scott Calef
World of Warcraft and Philosophy
(2009) Edited by Luke Cuddy
and John Nordlinger
The Onion and Philosophy (2010)
Monk and Philosophy (2010)
This book is dedicated to the Colbert Nation
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, a big thank you to all the contributors. Your hard work and dedication made this book possible. And your love for the material made it fun and interesting. It was truly a pleasure to work with each and every one of you!
Thanks to my editorial assistant, Dan Rosenberg, whose help is visible on every page.
Thanks to the folks at Open Courtespecially George A. Reisch, David Ramsay Steele, and Cindy Pineofor their advice, support, and the chance.
Thanks to the folks at the many wonderful Colbert fan sites, in particular No Fact Zone, for their detailed episode guide, Colbert University, for their interesting character studies, and Colbert Nation, for their lively forums.
Thanks to my colleagues, friends, and family for their guidance, support, and encouragement. In particular: John Jacobson, Nina Brewer-Davis, Jeff Schiller, Debbie Schiller, and Larry Schiller.
A special thanks to my adoring (and adored) wife, Denise Helene Brauer Schiller, for always being right beside me.
And a big, American-sized thanks to Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A. On behalf of myself and the contributors, we hope youll consider this the Number One Philosophy Book on all things Colbert.
Philosophy for Heroes