Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Paperback – Illustrated, June 24, 2008

Philosophy through jokes. What a fabulous concept. The trio of books make philosophical concepts, easier to understand, quite interesting, and fun at the same time. These guys are geniuses.

Good book with some great jokes

Philosophical conversationalists, Dimitri and Tasso, have been ordained by Cathcart and Klein to guide us through a brilliantly written tome-free survey of philosophy as viewed through the lens of a 21st century skeptic.Plato and a Platypus opens the doors to the various schools of philosophy employing whimsical contemporary illustrations that at once surprise and inform the reader. There are startlingly delightful cartoons, too. Each page offers up an intro to a serious speech, an ice-breaker for a cocktail party, or an intellectual game for a baby shower. The reader is at once compelled to both keep reading and to cut away to share a passage with a friend. (That's what literate people do when tweaked; they read to one another. I suggest it be limited to people over the age of 6, though my 5-year-old grandson became intrigued when I shared a tongue-in-cheek segment.) Yet, this book is far from one big joke. It is a scholarly work, complete with timeline and glossary, both of which are laced with humor that belie the academic content. It would be a rational text for many a college class. Critical thinking comes to mind. So do religion, ethics, math, logic, pragmatism, and English composition.If you buy one, buy two. This little reader is the perfect gift book for celebrations and simple pleasures. It is ideal for the friendly neighborhood philosopher. It is also a fine open-anywhere for moments when you want to think deeply without the weight of war or taxes. It is a definite buy and keep book. Highly recommended.La Vergne RosowAuthor, Accessing the Classics: Great Reads for Adults, Teens, and English Language Learners

Our book club was reading humor books this month. The two books I read were not funny. Then I read Plato and Platypus that had been on my bookshelf for years. Oh how I wish I’d read it years ago. Not only do I understand philosophy better, I laughed and laughed and laughed. What a treat.

No doubt about it, this is a fun little book to read. That said, if you hoped for a painless way to get an even superficial understanding of the basics of philosophy, you'll probably have to keep looking.Unfortunately, that was my hope. I didn't expect to finish the book with a Phd, or even a bachelor's degree worth of philosophical knowledge or understanding, but I did hope to get a loose mental framework upon which I could hang future philosophical learnings. That didn't happen, but I did get one or two really good jokes and 40 or 50 mediocre jokes.In the end, it just felt like Cathcart and Klein knew that to sell more copies they might be better off emphasizing the jokes more heavily and the philosophy less so. That's actually too bad, because their idea about jokes conveying a sense of philosophy really does seem true, and the humor really has the power to cement the philosophical ideas in your head where they might not otherwise stick so well.Overall, this isn't a bad book, but it seems like a missed opportunity to do something more special.

As a technical person, I have tried later in my life to go back and pick up a bit of the humanities -- to try to answer some of those questions we all have about life and living. I started to read and listen to some light reviews of philosophy and see if I could begin to grasp some of the basic questions and perhaps some of the answers. I am almost certain that one cannot do it by self study, but I have listened and read enough to know some of the basic ideas. And on top of that, I love the "man goes in a bar" jokes. Any book which combines two of the things I really enjoy as this book does has to move to the top of my list. When I saw this book I had to have it. I sat done and read it in about an hour and I loved it. I laughed and laughed and I recommend it to anyone looking to dip a toe into philosophy. Serious students will likely scoff at it, but for the rest of us, the ideas are here for the taking. Buy this book.