The Simpsons and Philosophy by William Irwin

The course was created not necessarily with the premise of finding a philosophy of The Simpsons, but rather to elucidate philosophy through The Simpsons. Past lectures have featured visits from longtime Simpsons director David Silverman as well as directors Edwin Aguilar, Raymond Persi, and Liz Climo.

The Simpsons class has welcomed a number of visiting lecturers during its history, including distinguished Berkeley faculty members as well as an annual tradition of inviting directors from the show to visit the course at the Berkeley campus. The class seems to appear with some frequency on lists for “coolest/most bizarre/college classes we wish we’d taken” - a testament of sorts to Berkeley’s proud tradition of academic freedom and intellectual creativity. Philosophy needs to be real in the sense that it has to make sense of the world as it is, not as we imagine or want it to be.”Īlong the way, the course has drawn a surprising amount of popular attention, often cited as an example of the ways in which The Simpsons has become construed as a cultural phenomenon beyond the ordinary bounds of simply a popular long-running television show. As Julian Baggini puts it very well: “why cartoons are the best form in which to do philosophy is that they are non-realistic in the same way that philosophy is.

The Simpsons can be a way for students new to philosophy to find it more relevant - yet the reason for The Simpsons and Philosophy class says as much about the nature of philosophy itself as it does about The Simpsons.

The Simpsons and Philosophy by William Irwin