Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar

Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes

Recommended by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and 1 others. See all reviews

Ranked #4 in Joke, Ranked #21 in Platosee more rankings.

Here's a lively, hilarious, not-so-reverent crash course through the great philosophical traditions, schools, concepts, and thinkers. Its Philosophy 101 for everyone who knows not to take all this heavy stuff too seriously. Some of the Big Ideas are Existentialism (what do Hegel and Bette Midler have in common?), Philosophy of Language (how to express what its like being stranded on a desert island with Halle Berry), Feminist Philosophy (why, in the end, a man is always a man), and much more. Finallyit all makes sense! less

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We've comprehensively compiled reviews of Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar from the world's leading experts.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb AuthorI read Plato and the Platypus by Umberto Eco, which I found brilliant and was sucked into buying this book thinking it was about the same problem of categories. But Philosophy this is not, or if it is, it is not deep enough to give satisfaction. This is like a brief drink in an airplane lounge with someone funny, smart, witty, but not too funny. So I would give it my lowest rating: 4 stars (as an author I can't give below that --I just would not review). Would I buy it again? Perhaps, but only for a plane ride. It left me very very hungry for both jokes and philosophy. (Source)


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