Saturday Night Live and Philosophy: Deep Thoughts Through the Decades

Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series

By: William Irwin - editor, Jason Southworth - editor, Ruth Tallman - editor

Narrated by: Randye Kaye, Patrick Lawlor

Comedian-philosophers from Socrates to Sartre have always prodded and provoked us, critiquing our most sacred institutions and urging us to examine ourselves in the process. In Saturday Night Live and Philosophy, a star-studded cast of philosophers takes a close look at the "deep thoughts" beneath the surface of NBC's award-winning late-night variety show and its hosts' zany antics.

In this book, philosophy and comedy join forces, just like the Ambiguously Gay Duo, to explore the meaning of life itself through the riffs and beats of the subversive parody that gives the show its razor-sharp wit and undeniable cultural and political significance.

Our guest hosts raise some eyebrows with questions like:

• ● Is Weekend Update fake news?
• ● Does SNL upset dominant paradigms or trap us in political bubbles?
• ● When it comes to SNL, how can we tell the difference between satire, smart-assery, and seriousness?
• ● Is the Ladies Man too stupid for moral responsibility?
• ● What is the benefit of jokes that cause outrage?
• ● The Church Lady has a bad case of moral superiority. How about you?

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