Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes

Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes
by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein

Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes
List Price: $14.00
Our Price: $5.99
You Save: $8.01 (57%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.12 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Daniel Klein, Thomas Cathcart
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-06-24
ISBN: 0143113879
Number of pages: 215
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Product features:
  • ISBN13: 9780143113874
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Book Reviews of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes

Book Review: Who said Philosophy was boring?
Summary: 5 Stars

I find philosophy fascinating but somehow don't usually manage to read Philosophy books completely. Somewhere in the middle either my interest trails off or someother book catches my fancy and I keep the book away for later reading which somehow seldom happens.

The experience with 'Plato and Platypus' was altogether different. It simply was a page turner as possibly only a John Grisham thriller can be. It was as if my life outside the book came to a standstill; everything else could wait till I found out what Plato and Platypus did in the bar. And it made Philosophy stick to me. The formula used is very simple. First it gently introduces a philosophical concept in bite size, then shares a joke. Since the jokes are all of a very high quality, I had a good laugh after reading them. The connection between the joke and the philosophical concept is not always very obvious. So I read the concept and the joke once again and laughed all over again when this time the connection became apparent. Then I lingered over savouring the whole experince as I might after having tasted something delicious, before I rushed to the next concept for a repeat of a similar experience. Any formula if repeated too much is likely to become boring. So the authors kept making subtle variations so that though the the formula remained the same my interest never flagged. In the process not only did I have a great time reading the book, but without making any specific effort to memorise the concepts, I found that is what actually happened. Every time I recalled the jokes, I recalled the concepts as well and they have now become an inseparable part of me.

The range of topics covered is mind-boggling - Metaphysics, Logic, Epistemology, Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, Existentialism, Social and Political Philosophy, Relativity and Meta Philosophy. Just as the sub-title of the book promises, you understand all of them even while laughing your way through the book.

There was a sense of sadness when I finished reading the book but it was quite easy to get over it. I immediately ordered for the Heidegger and Aristotle books by the same authors and now I cannot wait till they arrived.

Recommended without reservation.

Summary of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes

This New York Times bestseller is the hilarious philosophy course everyone wishes they?d had in school

Outrageously funny, Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . . has been a breakout bestseller ever since authors?and born vaudevillians?Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein did their schtick on NPR?s Weekend Edition. Lively, original, and powerfully informative, Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar . . . is a not-so-reverent crash course through the great philosophical thinkers and traditions, from Existentialism (What do Hegel and Bette Midler have in common?) to Logic (Sherlock Holmes never deduced anything). Philosophy 101 for those who like to take the heavy stuff lightly, this is a joy to read?and finally, it all makes sense!

Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.

Humor Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Humor Books
Snuff ImageSnuff
by Chuck Palahniuk
Anchor; Published: 2009-04-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops: $14.95
Don't Eat This Book ImageDon't Eat This Book
by Morgan Spurlock
Penguin Audio; Published: 2005-05-19; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops: $29.95
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell ImageI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
by Tucker Max
Penguin; Published: 2006; Paperback; Book
The Saber-Tooth Curriculum ImageThe Saber-Tooth Curriculum
by J.Abner Peddiwell
Mcgraw-Hill; Published: 1959-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.00
Miss America ImageMiss America
by Howard Stern
It Books; Published: 2010-08-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.71
Price in other shops: $16.99
101 Places Not to See Before You Die Image101 Places Not to See Before You Die
by Catherine Price
Harper Perennial; Published: 2010-06-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops: $13.99
My Life and Hard Times (Perennial Classics) ImageMy Life and Hard Times (Perennial Classics)
by James Thurber
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 1999-10-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.85
Price in other shops: $11.99
Equal Rites: A Discworld Novel (Discworld Novels) ImageEqual Rites: A Discworld Novel (Discworld Novels)
by Terry Pratchett
Harper Perennial; Published: 2005-09-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.26
Price in other shops: $13.95
Mirth of a Nation: Audio Companion, Fellow Traveler and Friend for Life--Laff Tracks From America's Most Trusted Humor Anthology ImageMirth of a Nation: Audio Companion, Fellow Traveler and Friend for Life--Laff Tracks From America's Most Trusted Humor Anthology
by Michael J. Rosen
HarperAudio; Published: 2002-11-12; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $4.51
Price in other shops: $29.95
Red, White & Liberal ImageRed, White & Liberal
by Alan Colmes
HarperAudio; Published: 2003-10-28; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops: $25.95
Similar Books and other products
Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates: Using Philosophy (and Jokes!) to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife, and Everything in Between ImageHeidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates: Using Philosophy (and Jokes!) to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife, and Everything in Between
by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein
Viking Adult; Published: 2009-10-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.98
Price in other shops: $19.95
Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington ImageAristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington
by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein
Abrams Image; Published: 2008-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.88
Price in other shops: $18.95
The Wisdom of Crowds ImageThe Wisdom of Crowds
by James Surowiecki
Anchor; Published: 2005-08-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops: $15.95
Irrational Exuberance ImageIrrational Exuberance
by Robert J. Shiller
Crown Business; Published: 2006-05-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.93
Price in other shops: $16.00
S & L Hell: The People and the Politics Behind the $1 Trillion Savings and Loan Scandal ImageS & L Hell: The People and the Politics Behind the $1 Trillion Savings and Loan Scandal
by Kathleen Day
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 1993-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $17.53
Price in other shops: $23.95
Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates: Using Philosophy (and Jokes!) to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife, and Everything in Between ImageHeidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates: Using Philosophy (and Jokes!) to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife, and Everything in Between
by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2010-10-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.91
Price in other shops: $13.00
50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need To Know (50 ideas) Image50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need To Know (50 ideas)
by Ben Dupre
Book Sales, Inc.; Published: 2009-09-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops: $8.99
Oxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit & Wisdom From History's Greatest Wordsmiths ImageOxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit & Wisdom From History's Greatest Wordsmiths
by Mardy Grothe
Harper; Published: 2004-03-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.98
Price in other shops: $14.99
Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington ImageAristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington
by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein
Abrams Image; Published: 2008-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.99
Price in other shops: $18.95
Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates: Using Philosophy (and Jokes!) to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife, and Everything in Between ImageHeidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates: Using Philosophy (and Jokes!) to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife, and Everything in Between
by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein
Viking Adult; Published: 2009-10-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.98
Price in other shops: $19.95
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories