Peanuts and Philosophy: You're a Wise Man, Charlie Brown!

by Richard Greene

In Peanuts and Philosophy , twenty philosophers, from a diverse range of perspectives, look at different aspects of the Peanuts canon. How can the thoughts of children, who have yet to become grown-up, help us to become more grown up ourselves? Do we get good results from believing in something like the Great Pumpkin, even though we're disappointed every time? What can Linus's reactions to the leukemia of his friend Janice tell us about the stages of grief? Why don't we settle what's right and what's wrong by the simple method of asking Lucy? Is true happiness attainable without a warm puppy? Do some people's kites have a natural affinity for trees? Is Sally an anarchist, a nihilist, or just a contrarian? Does Linus's reliance on his blanket help him or hurt him? Is Charlie Brown's philosophy of life pathetic or inspirational? Other topics include: how the way children think carries general lessons about transcending our limitations; the Utopian quest as illustrated by Charlie's devotion to the Little Red-Haired Girl; Snoopy's Red Baron and history as selective memory; the Head Beagle as Big Brother. And, as we would expect, Lucy's repeated cruel removal of Charlie's football has several philosophical applications.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812699483
• ISBN13: 9780812699487
• Release Date: December 2016
• Publisher: Open Court
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Pass it by

A book full of chapters written by blowhards who assume their witty observations are so important that the need to entertain is irrelevant. Over and over The Great Pumpkin story is beat to absolute death as these armchair philosophers go on and on. I read this right after Charlie Brown's America (the book that I actually thought would be filled with political bias forced onto the comic strip) which was much more informative and made relevant relations to the strip and the times in which it was written. This was just a platform for the overeeducated to repeatedly make attempts to secure that one liner that may one day be used in another philosophy book.