Hes often no more reasonable on religious matters than springfields other religious. Bart is the 10 year old son of homer and marge simpson. Examination of the fictitious character bart simpson using various personality theoretical. Kierkegaard and other major thinkers via the characters and plots of the tv sitcom.
A serial entrepreneur, homer has tried and failed at many businesses. The universitys philosophy tutor dr john donaldson told the bbc. He wishes to avoid both mere pious praise of homer as the source of all wisdom in a seamlessly unfolding western. The authors look beyond the jokes, the crudeness, the attacks on society and see a clever display of irony, social criticism, and philosophical thought. Just give me some inner peace, or ill mop the floor with ya. Homer simpson stands out in the day of the locust because he does not fit easily into the categories that tod has created homer is certainly not a performer, like faye or harry, but he is not a member of the crowds that tod hopes to paint either. For instance, this theory all stems from an episode where homer is talking with god. The purpose of the course is to offer students an introductory look into philosophy, provided in a uniquely fun and engaging way through the simpsons. Homer simpson is the greatest character in the history of storytelling.
An essay called homer and aristotle would appear to be a treatise on two ancient greek thinkers. Rating is available when the video has been rented. Homer simpson dan castellaneta, the simpsons, season 8. The title is a satirical allusion to the chinese philosophical work, the tao te ching of lao tzu. When marge became pregnant with lisa, homer and her bought a house. He is not politically correct, he is more than happy to judge others, and he certainly does not seem to be obsessed with his health. Overview homer simpson is 38 years old, is married to marge simpson and is the father of bart, lisa and maggie simpson. Character profile for homer simpson from the simpsons and. This unconventional and lighthearted introduction to the ideas of the major western philosophers examines the simpsons tvs favorite animated family. The simpsons as philosophy the simpsons is more than a funny cartoon it reveals truths about human nature that rival the observations of great philosophers from plato to kant. Homer simpson, star wars yoda and even ricky gervais character from sitcom the office make the cut. The simpsons and philosophy has a lot to say about the simpsons, and even more to say about philosophy. At first he looks at the characters and analyses them philosophically to see what they have to offer us.
The politics of departure and return, by patrick j. See more ideas about the simpsons, simpsons characters and homer simpson. Glasgow university offers homer simpson philosophy class. The simpsons and philosophy course at the university of california, berkeley was founded in 2003, and since then has been offered to thousands of students over the years. In their book, the simpson s and philosophy, william irwin, mark t. How many philosophers does it take to write a book about the simpsons. Through all his attempts, hes doled out his best business. This book includes contributions from 18 philosophy academics. See more ideas about the simpsons, simpson, homer simpson. Philosophy tutor dr john donaldson said beerswilling homer was a complex character who was hard not to like. Bart has appeared in other media relating to the simpsons. Skoble show us what lurks beneath the surface of this tremendous cartoon. This is not to deny that homer is a poet and odysseus a character who originate in more or less specifiable and local cultural circumstances. Hes the goofy, simpleminded character from the simpsons.
But thats not so bad, considering it takes 300 people 8 months, at a cost of 1. The writers begin with an examination of the characters. The simpsons was created by matt groening and first aired in 1989. Homer and political philosophy the imaginative conservative. Raja halwani writes that homers love of life is an admirable character trait, for many people are tempted to see in homer nothing but buffoonery and immorality. Welcome to next of ken and in this episode, were counting down 18 brilliant pieces of life advice from homer simpson. Review of seinfeld and philosophy and the simpsons and philosophy. Although he is somewhat a below average intelligence man, he cares about. Back in wayneville, iowa, homer was the same timid, compliant, somnambulistic person he is now, but he does not seem to have been typical of waynevilles population. Homer simpson is now the subject of a college philosophy course the simpsons is one of the modern worlds greatest cultural artefacts partly because it is so full of philosophy. Seven years later, homer felt financially secure enough to quit his job and join his.
Homer simpson stands out in the day of the locust because he does not fit easily into the categories that tod has createdhomer is certainly not a performer, like faye or harry, but he is not a member of the crowds that tod hopes to paint either. Homer simpson is the main character from the simpsons. These 6 actors voice over 250 simpsons characters youtube. Topics included are comparisons of the characters in the show, such as homer simpson and aristotle, or bart simpson and friedrich nietzsche. Homer is a very complex character in many ways, donaldson told the bbc. Skoble, each of whom also wrote one of the eighteen essays in the book. Homer is the only character to speak in every episode of the simpsons. Homer simpson is now the subject of a college philosophy. The book collects 18 essays into an unpretentious, tongueincheek, and surprisingly intelligent look at philosophy through the lens of matt groenings vaunted animated series. The preacher at the church that the simpsons family and the flanders family attend.
Simpsons did have some zany plots before homer went in a coma. Homer, bart, marge, and lisa are an interesting and oddly authentic family because their personalities and interactions echo patterns that we see every day in our own interactions with friends and. He works at the springfield nuclear power plant with his coworkers and drinking buddies lenny leonard and carl carlson. Burns, owner of the nuclear power plant plant where homer works as the safety inspector in sector 7g. Homer simpson is a middle aged, lazy, fat, ignorant man who lives in springfield with the rest of his family, the simpsons. Review of seinfeld and philosophy and the simpsons and. In addition, other simpsons theories, such as one that claims springfield operates outside of time and space, could explain things like the characters staying the same age. Simpsons philosophy class offered at university of glasgow. He really doesnt care much about his job or his flock at all, and can even be read as not actually being that religious.
This crazy simpsons theory actually makes a lot of sense. Topics include comparisons of the shows characters, like homer simpson and aristotle, or bart simpson and friedrich. Donaldson said the main focus of the oneday course offered on jan. Though the simpsons has introduced hundreds of characters over the past 25 years, none exemplify disc theory better than the four main characters.
University to teach the wit and wisdom of homer simpson inews. In doing so, he is arguing that political philosophy is not merely documentary evidence of the time and place in which particular political philosophers speak and write. The doh of homer is compilation of simpsonian essays written by working philosophers as far as i can tell, working philosopher is an oxymoron on various subjects. When thinking about the characters of this show, we typically think about their actions to describe them. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the simpsons and philosophy. University in scotland offers homer simpson philosophy. Homer simpson is infantile, automatonlike, and repressed, but the reader does not learn how he got that way. Glasgow university offers a simpsons philosophy class and it makes perfect sense philosophy always takes place in a kind of cartoon world. There is a character named homer simpson in the day of the locust, a 1939 novel by nathanael west, which may have been another inspiration for homers name. Glasgow university offers a simpsons philosophy class. Patrick deneen, an assistant professor of political science at princeton university, sets out in this book to assess the contemporary relevance of the homeric legacy, especially the odyssey. The characters creator, matt groening, revealed in 2002 that homer was the name of his father, an ad man, writer and documentary filmmaker from saskatchewan.
Presentation of traits this essay is based on the fictitious character bart simpson from the series the simpsons. Somehow, despite being shown to be incredibly unintelligent and one of the laziest people around, homer simpson has held down a wellpaying job at a nuclear power plant. The simpsons church, doctors, celebrities characters. The book was released on february 28, 2001, as the second volume of open court publishings popular culture and philosophy series, which currently includes eighty books.