This NY Times book review examines a new collection of essays called “The Sopranos and Philosophy: I Kill Therefore I Am” (Open Court Publishing, $17.95). The book is the seventh in Open Court Publishing’s “Popular Culture and Philosophy” series that is described as “philosophy with training wheels”. Previous books explored pop culture franchises including “Seinfeld,” “The Simpsons,” “The Matrix,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Lord of the Rings.”
Interestingly (and thankfully), not all pop culture is fit for philosophical examination, said the editor of the series, William Irwin, an associate professor of philosophy at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Mr. Irwin said he rejected book proposals on the long-running television shows “Friends” and “E.R.” because “they lacked the basic depth and literacy for a thorough philosophical discourse.”