Philosophy And The Hitchhiker'S Guide To The Galaxy

Description: This is the 'philosophy and. .' book that really needed to be written - because it is about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. For (to paraphrase the great man himself) Hitchhiker's is not above a little philosophy in the same way that the sea is not above the sky. Moreover: this edited collection combines accessibility - and some humour - with rigour. It contains an introduction, nine chapters, a glossary, and multiple indexes. Topics covered include the meaning of life (and '42'), vegetarianism, the ethics of entertainment, artificial intelligence, multiple worlds, God, and philosophical method.

Review: '...very readable and mind-expanding collection...' - PD Smith, The Guardian

Contents: Preface Acknowledgements ('thanks for all the fish') Introduction Nicholas Joll Notes on Contributors PART I: ETHICS 'Eat Me': Vegetarianism and Consenting Animals; B.Saunders & E.Harding Mostly Harmless? Hitchhiker's and the Ethics of Entertainment; N.Joll PART II: THE MEANING OF LIFE Life, the Universe, and Absurdity; A.Kind The Wowbagger Case: Immortality and What Makes Life Meaningful; T.Chappell PART III: METAPHYSICS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 'I Think You Ought To Know I'm Feeling Very Depressed': Marvin and Artificial Intelligence; J.Goodenough From Deep Thought to Digital Metaphysics; B.Dainton PART IV: LOGIC, METHOD, AND SATIRE 'God . . Promptly Vanishes in a Puff of Logic'; M.Friend The Judo Principle, Philosophical Method, and the Logic of Jokes; A.Aberdein The Funniest of All Improbable Worlds - Hitchhiker's as Philosophical Satire; A.Pawlak & N.Joll Glossary Bibliography (of Adams, Philosophy, and Everything) Indexes



Author Biography: NICHOLAS JOLL has taught philosophy at several universities including the University of Hertfordshire, UK, where he is currently a Visiting Lecturer, and the Open University, UK. His publications include several papers on the philosophy of T.W Adorno and two pieces on the philosophy of philosophy.