Title Details

Dean A. Kowalski is an associate professor of philosophy at University of Wisconsin-Waukesha and the author of five books, most recently Moral Theory at the Movies and The Philosophy of Joss Whedon.

William Irwin is a professor of philosophy at King's College, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as coeditor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy and has overseen recent titles including House and Philosophy, Batman and Philosophy, and Inception and Philosophy.

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: “Unraveling the Mysteries” 1

Part One “It All Began On A Warm Summer’s Evening In Greece”: Aristotelian Insights

1 Aristotle on Sheldon Cooper: Ancient Greek Meets Modern Geek 7
Greg Littmann

2 “You’re a Sucky, Sucky Friend”: Seeking Aristotelian Friendship in The Big Bang Theory 21
Dean A. Kowalski

3 The Big Bang Theory on the Use and Abuse of Modern Technology 35
Kenneth Wayne Sayles III

Part Two “Is It Wrong To Say I Love Our Killer Robot?”: Ethics And Virtue

4 Feeling Bad about Feeling Good: Is It Morally Wrong to Laugh at Sheldon? 51
W. Scott Clifton

5 . . . But Is Wil Wheaton Evil? 65
Donna Marie Smith

6 Do We Need a Roommate Agreement?: Pleasure, Selfishness, and Virtue in The Big Bang Theory 80
Gregory L. Bock and Jeffrey L. Bock

Part Three “Perhaps You Mean A Different Thing Than I Do When You Say ‘Science’”: Science, Scientism, And Religion

7 Getting Fundamental about Doing Physics in The Big Bang Theory 99
Jonathan Lawhead

8 Sheldon, Leonard, and Leslie: The Three Faces of Quantum Gravity 112
Andrew Zimmerman Jones

9 The One Paradigm to Rule Them All: Scientism and The Big Bang Theory 128
Massimo Pigliucci

10 Cooper Considerations: Science, Religion, and Family 144
Adam Barkman and Dean A. Kowalski

Part Four “I Need Your Opinion On A Matter Of Semiotics”: Language And Meaning

11 Wittgenstein and Language Games in The Big Bang Theory 161
Janelle Pötzsch

12 “I’m Afraid You Couldn’t Be More Wrong!”: Sheldon and Being Right about Being Wrong 175
Adolfas Mackonis

13 The Cooper Conundrum: Good Lord, Who’s Tolerating Whom? 189
Ruth E. Lowe

14 The Mendacity Bifurcation 203
Don Fallis

Part Five “The Human Experience That Has Always Eluded Me”: The Human Condition

15 Mothers and Sons of The Big Bang Theory 219
Ashley Barkman

16 Penny, Sheldon, and Personal Growth through Difference 233
Nicholas G. Evans

17 Deconstructing the Women of The Big Bang Theory: So Much More Than Girlfriends 244
Mark D. White and Maryanne L. Fisher

The Episode Compendium: “Hey, It’s a Big Menu—There’s Two Pages Just for Desserts” 257

Contributors:“But If We Were Part of the Team . . . We Could Drink for Free in Any Bar in Any College Town” 261

Index: “Cornucopia . . . Let’s Make That Our Word of the Day” 267

“If you’re looking for a straight discussion of philosophy try reading Frederick Copleston’s The History of Philosophy, but if you’re open to learning in a fun environment try this book.   Just remember that this book is first of all a study of philosophy geared to the non-specialist.  The by-product of the book is that you will deepen your understanding of and engagement with the characters in these shows.”  (Ponderings on a Faith Journey, 10 August 2012)