Philosophy
Are you ready for a trip down the rabbit hole? Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and Disney are adding a strange new chapter to the Lewis Carroll classic with their "Alice in Wonderland," a film that presents a young woman who finds herself in the world of the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and the Red Queen. She is welcomed as a returning visitor -- but is she, in fact, the same Alice who roamed the trippy realm as a child? Time will tell. Here at the Hero Complex, we're counting down to the film's March 5 release with daily coverage.
Should the Cheshire Cat's grin make us reconsider the nature of reality? Can Humpty Dumpty make words mean whatever he says they mean? Is Alice a feminist icon?
Those are a few of the questions in"Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy: Curiouser and Curiouser," a book by William Irvin, a philosophy professor at King’s College in Pennsylvania, who has made a specialty of using pop culture to frame his classroom approach.
He took the idea to the bookshelf with in 1999 as editor of "Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing" and then again, with bestselling results, with "The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh of Homer" in 2001. More books followed, using "The Matrix," Metallica and "The Terminator" as the lenses for examining philosophical topics. Books on “True Blood,” “Mad Men” and “30 Rock” will be released later this year, while the "Wonderland" collection just hit shelves timed to exploit the arrival of Tim Burton's cinematic trip down the rabbit hole .
“Philosophy seems kinda dry and dusty to people," Irvin said, "But everyone is interested in popular culture. We found a way to communicate that to students and the general public by meeting them halfway. For example, ‘The Simpsons’, is one of the most popular shows on college campuses for a long run. That would get students interested in a hurry.”
"Wonderland" is an especially good fit for the series because academics have been making references to Carroll's work for a century.
“Lewis Carroll himself was a sort of philosopher," Irwin said. "Even though he’s writing a children’s book, a lot of the things that are fun for children are philosophical -- nature, the difference of appearance vs. reality. “It’s really engaging in ‘Alice.’ It’s done in a very engaging and intellectually charged way and leads a nice logical puzzle in a way.”
Richard Brian Davis, an associate professor of philosophy at Tyndale University College and Seminary who co-edited the "Alice" book, said the heroine provides a lasting image of feminism.
“Alice does bend the rules on a number of levels, it’s still Victorian England," Davis said. "The role of women in society is still pretty limited. Lewis Carroll is really exploding that myth completely with Alice. We wanted to tap into that. We wanted to latch onto a figure, and we couldn’t think of anybody better. Alice is better than any Disney princess. You might think of a woman who competes on men’s terms so she’s not marginalized. I think Alice goes beyond that. The question is rather 'Can you out-think men.' All through that book, you will see her out think men on every level. I think she’s a much better role model than someone who exercises just sheer power, unlike the Queen of Hearts. This is the kind of woman that a philosophy professor would want his daughters to grow up like.”
Irwin said he hopes to release an “Avatar and Philosophy,” book in the series soon.
“It’s hugely popular and it raises philosophical questions," Irwin said. "It’s the kind of thing that after seeing it they talk about it, and want to keep talking about it. So we take it as the opportunity to want to talk about philosophy."
- Go Ask Alice And Try Some Drugs
"A Psychedelic Anti-Drug Film From 1971 That Made Drugs Look Pretty Fun" by Rebecca Onion Slate In this film made by the National Institute of Mental Health in 1971 and meant for use with 8- to 10-year-old students, Alice takes a psychedelic trip through...
- Fame, Doubt--lewis Carroll
"Lewis Carroll Hated Fame So Much, He Sometimes Regretted Writing Alice" by Lauren DavisApril 18th, 2014 io9 Charles Dodgson, the author and mathematician better known as Lewis Carroll, wrote about a young girl lost in surreal dreamscapes. But Dodgson...
- Missed It...charles Lutwidge Dodgson's Birthday
Probably the most beloved child literature author was born on January 27th,1832. Adults enjoy his literature too. Above is a snap of a stage production of Alice in Wonderland taken by Victorian society photographer Alexander Bassano in 1900 at the Vaudeville...
- Allure Of Alice
Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland opened yesterday and unfortunately the critics and emails I am receiving are not too thrilled. One of the big complaints was the over use of 3D and CGI. Told ya. Anyway, Carroll's Alice endures and one wonders...
- Lewis Carroll Fun
"Nearly Deafened And Disoriented, Alice Is Besieged By The Carcophonic Chaos Of Fifty Two Mischievous Playing Cards"--Mercury "Alice In Wonderland: An Interactive Adventure" "Alice's Maze" Lewis Carroll’s Puzzle Page ...
Philosophy
Wonderland...an essay by Gerrick D. Kennedy
"Philosophy prof uses 'Wonderland' to answer the big questions"
by
Gerrick D. Kennedy
February 27th, 2010
The Los Angeles Times
by
Gerrick D. Kennedy
February 27th, 2010
The Los Angeles Times
Are you ready for a trip down the rabbit hole? Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and Disney are adding a strange new chapter to the Lewis Carroll classic with their "Alice in Wonderland," a film that presents a young woman who finds herself in the world of the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and the Red Queen. She is welcomed as a returning visitor -- but is she, in fact, the same Alice who roamed the trippy realm as a child? Time will tell. Here at the Hero Complex, we're counting down to the film's March 5 release with daily coverage.
Should the Cheshire Cat's grin make us reconsider the nature of reality? Can Humpty Dumpty make words mean whatever he says they mean? Is Alice a feminist icon?
Those are a few of the questions in"Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy: Curiouser and Curiouser," a book by William Irvin, a philosophy professor at King’s College in Pennsylvania, who has made a specialty of using pop culture to frame his classroom approach.
He took the idea to the bookshelf with in 1999 as editor of "Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing" and then again, with bestselling results, with "The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh of Homer" in 2001. More books followed, using "The Matrix," Metallica and "The Terminator" as the lenses for examining philosophical topics. Books on “True Blood,” “Mad Men” and “30 Rock” will be released later this year, while the "Wonderland" collection just hit shelves timed to exploit the arrival of Tim Burton's cinematic trip down the rabbit hole .
“Philosophy seems kinda dry and dusty to people," Irvin said, "But everyone is interested in popular culture. We found a way to communicate that to students and the general public by meeting them halfway. For example, ‘The Simpsons’, is one of the most popular shows on college campuses for a long run. That would get students interested in a hurry.”
"Wonderland" is an especially good fit for the series because academics have been making references to Carroll's work for a century.
“Lewis Carroll himself was a sort of philosopher," Irwin said. "Even though he’s writing a children’s book, a lot of the things that are fun for children are philosophical -- nature, the difference of appearance vs. reality. “It’s really engaging in ‘Alice.’ It’s done in a very engaging and intellectually charged way and leads a nice logical puzzle in a way.”
Richard Brian Davis, an associate professor of philosophy at Tyndale University College and Seminary who co-edited the "Alice" book, said the heroine provides a lasting image of feminism.
“Alice does bend the rules on a number of levels, it’s still Victorian England," Davis said. "The role of women in society is still pretty limited. Lewis Carroll is really exploding that myth completely with Alice. We wanted to tap into that. We wanted to latch onto a figure, and we couldn’t think of anybody better. Alice is better than any Disney princess. You might think of a woman who competes on men’s terms so she’s not marginalized. I think Alice goes beyond that. The question is rather 'Can you out-think men.' All through that book, you will see her out think men on every level. I think she’s a much better role model than someone who exercises just sheer power, unlike the Queen of Hearts. This is the kind of woman that a philosophy professor would want his daughters to grow up like.”
Irwin said he hopes to release an “Avatar and Philosophy,” book in the series soon.
“It’s hugely popular and it raises philosophical questions," Irwin said. "It’s the kind of thing that after seeing it they talk about it, and want to keep talking about it. So we take it as the opportunity to want to talk about philosophy."
Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy: Curiouser and Curiouser
by
William Irwin
ISBN-10: 0470558369
by
William Irwin
ISBN-10: 0470558369
ISBN-13: 978-0470558362
- Go Ask Alice And Try Some Drugs
"A Psychedelic Anti-Drug Film From 1971 That Made Drugs Look Pretty Fun" by Rebecca Onion Slate In this film made by the National Institute of Mental Health in 1971 and meant for use with 8- to 10-year-old students, Alice takes a psychedelic trip through...
- Fame, Doubt--lewis Carroll
"Lewis Carroll Hated Fame So Much, He Sometimes Regretted Writing Alice" by Lauren DavisApril 18th, 2014 io9 Charles Dodgson, the author and mathematician better known as Lewis Carroll, wrote about a young girl lost in surreal dreamscapes. But Dodgson...
- Missed It...charles Lutwidge Dodgson's Birthday
Probably the most beloved child literature author was born on January 27th,1832. Adults enjoy his literature too. Above is a snap of a stage production of Alice in Wonderland taken by Victorian society photographer Alexander Bassano in 1900 at the Vaudeville...
- Allure Of Alice
Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland opened yesterday and unfortunately the critics and emails I am receiving are not too thrilled. One of the big complaints was the over use of 3D and CGI. Told ya. Anyway, Carroll's Alice endures and one wonders...
- Lewis Carroll Fun
"Nearly Deafened And Disoriented, Alice Is Besieged By The Carcophonic Chaos Of Fifty Two Mischievous Playing Cards"--Mercury "Alice In Wonderland: An Interactive Adventure" "Alice's Maze" Lewis Carroll’s Puzzle Page ...