30 Rock and Philosophy: We Want to Go to There
A fascinating exploration of the philosophy behind NBC’s hit TV series, 30 Rock\ With edgy writing and a great cast, 30 Rock is one of the funniest television shows on the air—and where hilarity ensues, philosophical questions abound: Are Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy ethical heroes? Kenneth redefines "goody two shoes", but what does it really mean to be good? Dr. Leo Spaceman routinely demonstrates that medicine is not a science, so what is the role of the incompetent professional in America...
Search in google:
Should you let Oprah be your guide? Is immoral behavior no laughing matter?Can Devon Banks choose his sexual orientation?Is that a dealbreaker? Hello, dummy. Wait! Don't stop reading. This is really important. I'm dying. Okay, that was a lie. It's about this TV show I love. I recently discovered that I'm a 30 Rock addict. From Jack Donaghy's management advice to the things Liz Lemon has to do just to get a show on the air every week, 30 Rock raises all kinds of ethical dilemmas and philosophical issues. Okay, it's not like reading Wittgenstein, but it makes you wise. Like a genetically manipulated shark. Every essay in 30 Rock and Philosophy takes some of my favorite scenes from the show and uses them to explain important philosophical issues. Even the most esoteric ideas become understandable when Kenneth is involved. So if you watch the show for Tracy's antics, Dr. Spaceman's medical advice, or just to look at Tina Fey, read this book and you'll walk away knowing about the Frankfurt School, Aristotle, and Jack Donaghy's sordid love life. Now that we have that out of the way, I have an idea for a business that could make us both millionaires. One word: floppy disks. To learn more about the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, visit www.andphilosophy.com
http://catalogimages.wiley.com/images/db/pdf/9780470575581.excerpt.pdf
Acknowledgments: Thanks for Helping Us Go to ThereIntroduction: Platonic Fantasies and Tina Fey-losophy 1PART ONE WHAT WOULD OPRAH DO?: ETHICS AND THE GOOD LIFE AT 30 ROCK1 Being Kenneth: Some Moral Lessons P. Sue Dohnimm Dohnimm, P. Sue 72 Sour Lemon: Liz's Workaholism and the Meaning of Life Jeffrey A. Hinzmann Hinzmann, Jeffrey A. 163 Friendship on 30 Rock: What a Greek Philosopher Can Teach Us about Companionship Dan Yim Yim, Dan 284 A Confucian-Aristotelian Critique of 30 Rock's "Semi-Virtuous Path" Adam Barkman Barkman, Adam 43PART TWO THE GIRLIE SHOW: GENDER, RACE, AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION AT 30 ROCK5 Race at the Rock: Race Cards, White Myths, and Postracial America J. Jeremy Wisnewski Wisnewski, J. Jeremy 576 Getting Gay: How 30 Rock Helps Us Understand Sexuality J. Jeremy Wisnewski Wisnewski, J. Jeremy 757 And the Followship Award Goes to ... Third-Wave Feminism? Ashley Barkman Barkman, Ashley 89PART THREE DEALBREAKER!: CORPORATIONS, PROFESSIONS, AND POLITICS8 Medicine's Not a Science: Dr. Leo Spaceman and the Role of the Incompetent Professional in Today's America Kevin S. Decker Decker, Kevin S. 1019 Is There a Difference between East Coast Television and Microwave Ovens?: Moral Questions about Corporate Management Andrew Terjesen Terjesen, Andrew 11410 The Emancipation Corporation: Loving and Loathing the Shinehardt Wigs of the World Nicolas Michaud Michaud, Nicolas 13011 Liz and Jack Can't Be Friends!: Communitarianism, Libertarianism, and Politics at 30 Rock Nicolas Michaud Michaud, Nicolas 138PART FOUR MIND GRAPES (TO NOURISH YOUR THINKING)12 "The Bubble," the Cave, and Samsara: Being Deluded at 30 Rock Adam Barkman Barkman, Adam 14913 Of Cookie Jars and CEOs: Time and Self on 30 Rock Tyler Shores Shores, Tyler 16114 One City's Cheese-Curl Addict is Another City's Model: A Question of Taste Melina Found Found, Melina 17415 "I'm Straight-Up Mentally III": Tracy Jordan and True, Justified Belief Robert Arp Arp, Robert 18616 Performing at 30 Rock (and Everywhere Else) Marc E. Shaw Shaw, Marc E. 195Appendix 1 Frank's Hat Store 209Appendix 2 The Wisdom of the Page: Meet Kenneth Ellen Parcell Parcell, Ellen 211Contributors: Cast Members of 30 Rock and Philosophy 217Index: Shinehardt Wig Company Filing System 221
\ From Barnes & NoblePhilosophically seen, the characters in NBC?s award-winning 30 Rock reside in separate universes: Jack Donaghy believes only "in things I can buy and deregulate"; workaholic Liz Lemon wants it all: job, love, and community spirit; Jenna Maroney casts herself as a 24-hour-a-day mega-star; Tracy Jordan requires a full entourage to support his delusions; and Kenneth the page loves only two things in this world: everybody and television. This brave new addition to Irwin's Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series places these wildly disparate characters under scrutiny that will increase your wisdom and deepen your comedy repertoire.\ \
