The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy: Respect My Philosophah!

What can Kyle, Cartman, Kenny and Stan teach us about imagination, logic and reason? Is  South Park anti–religion? Is this tiny town in the Rockies democratic, anarchic, or something else? Will Mr. Garrison and Big Gay Al ever be happy together in gay marriage? In the six years since the original publication of South Park and Philosophy , the lives of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny have become only more dysfunctional—too much dysfunctionality to pass up, in fact. Reflecting this wealth of fearless new comedic material, The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy presents a compilation of serious philosophical reflections on the twisted insights of the characters in TV’s most irreverent animated series. Burning philosophical questions addressed by notable thinkers in this new volume include blasphemy and Scientology, Apple and iPads, the problems of evil and guilt, and why the Crack Baby Athletic Association is wrong on so many levels. Topical issues warranting further philosophical consideration include the problem of Big Gay Al and marriage, faith in God in a world of Cartmanland–type evil, and, of course, if Kyle was on to something when he questioned whether his existence was reality or just a dream. Combining an irreverence of its own with the minimal legal amount of philosophy, The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy allows readers to gain a deeper appreciation for South Park and a greater respect for the philosophah that springs from “Out of the potty–mouths of babes ….”

Introduction: “Well, I’m Afraid It’s About to Happen Again” 1 Robert Arp and Kevin S. Decker Part I Doing Philosophical Things with South Park 5 1 Flatulence and Philosophy: A Lot of Hot Air, or the Corruption of Youth? 7 Willie Young 2 You Know, I Learned Something Today: Stan Marsh and the Ethics of Belief 19 Henry Jacoby 3 “Imaginationland,” Terrorism, and the Difference Between Real and Imaginary 29 Christopher C. Kirby 4 Dude, Listen to Reason! Logic Lessons Inside and Outside South Park 41 Robert Arp Part II South Park and … Religion 53 5 Science, Religion, South Park, and God 55 David Kyle Johnson 6 “Your Magic Is No Match for Our Powers Combined!”—Religious Pluralism and the Search for Truth 71 Jeffrey Dueck 7 Cartmanland and the Problem of Evil 83 David Kyle Johnson Part III South Park versus … Religion 95 8 “Respect My Religiositah!”—South Park and Blasphemy 97 David Koepsell 9 Mary’s Menses and Morality: Blasphemy in South Park 108 Kevin J. Murtagh 10 South Park, The Book of Mormon, and How Religious Fundamentalists Always Find a Way to Be Naive and Arrogant at the Same Time 119 Roberto Sirvent and Neil Baker Part IV Respecting My Authoritah! in South Park 131 11 Juvenile Hijinks With Serious Subtext: Dissent and Democracy in South Park 133 David Valleau Curtis and Gerald J. Erion 12 Of Marx and Mantequilla: Labor and Immigration in “The Last of the Meheecans” 143 Jeffrey Ewing 13 “Vote or Die, Bitch”—Does Every Vote Count in a Two–Party System? 153 John Scott Gray 14 Socioeconomic Darwinism from a South Park Perspective 164 Dale Jacquette Part V Liber–arianism in South Park 175 15 Cartman Shrugged: South Park and Libertarian Philosophy 177 Paul A. Cantor 16 Sitting Downtown at Kentucky Fried Chicken: One Toke Over the Line 194 Kevin S. Decker 17 Cat Urine, Medicinal Fried Chicken, and Smoking: South Park’s Anti–Paternalistic Libertarianism 208 Shane D. Courtland Part VI There’s a Time and a Place for Everything, Children 221 18 You (Still) Can’t Get Married, You’re Faggots: Mrs. Garrison and the Gay Marriage Debate 223 Jacob M. Held 19 Cute and Cuddly Animals versus Yummy Animals 236 Cynthia Jones 20 Aesthetic Value, Ethos, and Phil Collins: The Power of Music in South Park 247 Per F. Broman Contributors 260 Index 265

Robert Arp is an analyst working with the U.S. Government. He has done data modeling work as an ontologist, and has taught philosophy courses at colleges and universities, too. His interests include philosophy of biology, ontology in the information science sense, and philosophy and pop culture. Kevin S. Decker teaches philosophy at Eastern Washington University, where he is also an Associate Dean of the College of Arts, Letters and Education. His research interests are American pragmatism, Continental philosophy, ethics, philosophy and pop culture, and social theory. William Irwin is Professor of Philosophy at King’s College. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as coeditor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy and has overseen recent titles including Superman and Philosophy , Black Sabbath and Philosophy, and Spider–Man and Philosophy .