Supernatural and Philosophy: Metaphysics and Monsters ... for Idjits

by Galen A. Foresman (Editor), John Edgar Browning (Contributor), William Irwin (Editor)

No doubt the years hunting monsters and saving the universe have had their toll on the Winchesters, but their toughest and most gruesome battles are contained in this book. Think Lucifer was diabolically clever? Think again. No son is more wayward than the one who squanders his intellect and academic career pursuing questions as poignant as “Half-awesome? That’s full-on good, right?” Gathered here for the first time since the formation of Purgatory, a collection of research so arcane and horrific that it would make even the late, great Bobby Singer blush.

Supernatural and Philosophy tackles all the big ideas in the long-running hit show Supernatural , covering thorny issues in a fun and accessible way. Even those unfamiliar with the show will find fascinating insights into Heaven, Hell, Angels, Demons, God, and Lucifer.

Genres: Supernatural, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Paranormal, Pop Culture, Reference, Mythology

202 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2013

Reviews

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Supernatural and Philosophy: Metaphysics and Monsters... for Idjits edited by Galen A Foresman is an entry of The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series that I needed to get my hands on as soon as I heard of it. While I was in college, I had to read a few entries in this series for class assignments and they were fun and accessible ways to approach a variety of philosophical theories. Overall, this installment featuring one of my all time favorite tv series wasn't bad in the least, but it was somewhat underwhelming. The essays that are featured are on a variety of fascinating topics, but in some cases taken as a whole they are a bit too repetitive. Several of the essays use the same episodes for examples and sometimes even the same scenes to make their points. Plus, many of the essays, especially "Team Free Will: Something Worth Fighting For", "Mothers, Lovers, and Other Monsters: The Women of Supernatural", "Dean Winchester and the Supernatural Problem of Evil", "Angels and Atheists" and "Oh God, You Devil" in particular I'd actually like to see reworked with what we know about the series since this was released in 2013. I have to say I was also fully expecting "Masculinity and Supernatural Love" to discuss Castiel's close bond with Dean (and Sam, too) since she discusses the bond between the brothers and to a much lesser extent Bobby. Anyway, if you're interested in Supernatural, you may want to try this philosophy book which uses the series to discuss prominent theories via a series of essays. It isn't for everyone, but it is fascinating nevertheless.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the better ".... and Philosophy" books I have read. There are 15 essays in total, some of which were a bit boring but overall it's entertaining and an easy read.

I liked "Hunting the American Dream: Why Marx would think its a terrible life" by Jillian L. Canode best because it was actually thought-provoking. A lot of the first chapters revolve around the morality of monsters and Dean & Sam killing them. I mostly agreed with the assessment that their morality, especially Dean's, is kind of out of whack, but it seemed a bit obvious to me and not that well argued.

I also liked "Masculinitiy and Supernatural Love", "Dean Winchester and the Supernatural Problem of Evil" (Dean's doiubt , "Angels and Atheists" (which to me answers the question if angels can be atheists with a loud and resounding yes) and "Mothers, Lovers, and other Monsters", a critical look at the portrayal of women on the show.

I really didn't like "Oh God, You Devil" by Danilo Chaib which was less philosophy and more religious apologism. But overall, this is a fun anthology. My main criticism would be that the essays I liked were a bit too short and not in-depth enough , and that the book could have been longer.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this, waited for it with bated breath, was thrilled half the contributors were women philosophers (7 of 15, that is if Danilo is a woman) ... so I should love it, right? Right? Wrong. It felt light to me. And yes, I totally get X and Philosophy-anything should be light, it's philosophy lite, after all .... and yet, and yet ... Possibly because I wanted to like it so much, possibly because my leetle grey cells are tired from all the traveling I didn't love it, and I didn't really get off on the fan-girl stuff, either.

So this is the thing: women love "Supernatural" because it's good, clean fun, an honorable escape so-to-speak, very little swearing, less gore than on "Bones", very little gratuitous sex--practically none compared to anything on cable television, vis. "Trueblood"--the protagonists are hot--my GAWD are they hot--and the first five seasons were a dynamic trajectory from urban myth to epic battles on a cosmic scale. But I always wanted to sip more from this tv show, wanted to really get why it fired on so many burners considering it's not expensive to produce (sets are bare-bones--it's the same hotel room repapered week after week--and the crowd scenes? pitiful) and it's not all that fantastically well-written. Its success can't all depend on Jensen Ackles and his one-two sucker punch of good looks and flawless comedic timing. So, I was hoping to find out what some of the best thinkers out there deem its formula for success. No dice. I blame the editor: Galen A. Foresman, who subtitles the book: Metaphysics and Monsters ... for Idjits (proving he's watched the show and identifies with the 60 year old Bobby, who is hunter emeritus, alcoholic, widow and long overdue for a bath); and who introduces the book with a section dedicated to GhostPhacers, which is, for me the most puerile and least interesting invention of the series' writers. So ... fan-boys, nerds, and washed up old guys, yep, you matter. Too bad people who want to explore the composition of the tectonic plates in this wacky world are left hanging.

So, why didn't anyone really scrape at what draws thinking adults into this compelling show? Perhaps because it has continued long after it ought to have been wrapped up. Everyone and everything has been touched upon. There is actually NO WHERE left for Sam and Dean to go--they've been to Heaven, they've been to Hell (several times each) and they've been everywhere in between. By season 9 it's all retread, and all of the thrilling meta stuff has been done to death.


So here's what I think is the enduring appeal of this show. Here are a couple of taciturn drifters, riding a gorgeous black horse (loved the Horseman of the Apocalypse imagery--Red Mustang = Red Horse of War, slight artistic license there, but reread "Revelations" and you'll appreciate); their mission is to ride into town, run off the bad guys, seduce all the pretty girls, and ride out at dusk. At this show's deepest identity it's a Western. You get a genuine whiff of sagebrush and freedom in amongst the vampire blood and gunsmoke. There can be no more American form of story-telling than the Western and I believe the television show runners know it and exploit it. (Observe that Sam and Dean spend next to no time at all in New England or New York, where they have fantastic fodder for story lines. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery anyone? ... Did you all know that Emerson dug his dead wife up three years after she died -- to gaze upon her face?!?!?! He really did. Tell me that guy couldn't have been hunter. But yeah, New England isn't all the open range-y, is it? Too civilized.)

I'm getting carried away with themes I wanted covered and questions I wanted to be asked. ...

The chapters that did address the questions I had were Stacey Goguen's "Masculinity and Supernatural Love" and no, it was not about Sam and Dean's homosexual relationship; and Patricia Brace's "Mothers, Lovers, and Other Monsters", which addressed the fact that all "Supernatural" women seem to fit into very narrow categories, somewhat strange and sad, and didn't answer my question about when the boys really do use the word "gank" in relation to female monsters. Possibly the most interesting chapter in the bunch was Jillian Canode's "Hunting the American Dream: Why Marx Would Think It's a Terrible Life" ... in which the author explored angelic exploitation of human hunters in general and that of Sam and Dean in particular. Marx and asshole angels have never fit more snugly together than in this chapter.

But yes, so many questions I had were not addressed, and more awfully, it seemed like the same dozen episodes were referred to over and over. Very unsatisfying.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors had many great points and were very thought provoking; HOWEVER, the editors could have done a lot more to keep the book from being a redundant mess! I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over. More often, I felt like I was reading the same EXAMPLES over and over, and that got very cumbersome.

[Soraia Ferreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, just had 2 little problems with it, the first one being that they don't appreciate the awesomeness of Dean Winchester! But seriously it's a bit repetitive, I mean, I know you have to explain things clearly but I got it the first time, I don't need to read the same sentence 10 more times. But a really fun read

[Hina Ansari · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pop culture and philosophy books are starting to gain some consistency, yet still suffer from minor grammar mistakes. In this book, based on the TV show Supernatural, the book does a better job bringing in a variety of examples to illustrate varying points, dissecting the show in ways that may not be fun for all viewers. Much like the Twilight and Philosophy book, there are some essays that might draw hard lines where fans may not want to venture. The most glaring example, for me, came with the discussion regarding Dean killing Sam’s friend who was a demon, but not an evil demon, per say. The contrast given was fair. At one point during the show, a group of vampires are found feeding on animals and not humans and Dean and Sam let them go. Yet in this instance, Dean promises Sam to leave the friend alone once they realize the reason for the incidents that killed a few humans. Dean then goes back and kills the friend, despite having told Sam he wouldn’t. It is a clear contradiction to the morality and consequences that we’d like to believe are consistent for our heroes. It certainly paints Dean in a far less favorable light. There are a dozen arguments that could be made about how he redeems himself, but by acting unjustly, in addition to lying, doesn’t make him a hero.

It was clear that the book was written by people who were familiar with the source material, unlike the last pop culture and philosophy book I read (the Avengers one), where it seemed like the authors only knew about one character. I did still stumble upon a handful of grammatical errors, which is always distracting. I also found most of the essays to just glance the surface of the subject and then they’d be over. Of the newer additions to the series, this was one of the better one, but certainly not as good as the first forty or so. If you’re a fan of Supernatural, you will find this book interesting.

[Ryan Denson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike most of the rest of the books in this normal fascinating series, this one suffers from a profound lack of any depth in most of the essays. Many of the philosophical ideas covered are only even tangentially related to primary subject matter and several essays overlap each other considerably. As a result, this volume, despite having much potential, is merely a repetitive, seemingly hastily put-together, and sloppy attempt at relating some of the most basic elements of philosophy to Supernatural.

[Abigail Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn’t a book I would recommend to EVERY supernatural fan but as someone who did philosophy and religious studies at alevel and theology at uni this is THE BEST combo of some of my 2 favourite things. Don’t get me wrong the book explains hard topics in laymans terms but I just dont think everyone would have a burning interest in this. But it was v enjoyable. I think tho it was finished around s8/9 so i would love to see another released adding in the new perspectives and scenes from the further seasons.

[Shona Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book if you love supernatural and are interested in philosophy. I have studied philosophy in uni but s this book really helps explain some phylisophical debates well using supernatural as example. I wish I had read this book when doing my degree. I would probably have understood the content more.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this much more than I thought I would. Since it has multiple chapters by a variety of authors, some discourse were better than others. Some topics were a bit repetitive but all offered some rational insights. Overall, an interesting read into the philosophy of Supernaatural.

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Damian Haddad · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love supernatural but, this book was underwhelming.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

You need to know a little about the series

[Soniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Supernatural e a filosofia' é uma deliciosa introdução ao universo da série. Serve tanto para entreter tanto quanto introduzir os fãs em questões que muitas vezes ficam sem respostas,abordando a questão moral sobre matar 'os monstros da semana' de uma forma divertida e acessível.
Conseguir compreender alguns assuntos bem como descobrir outros aos quais era leiga completamente. Este é um livro para aqueles que curtem o humor inteligente da série.

'Supernatural and philosophy' is a delightful introduction to the universe of the series. It serves both to entertain as well as introduce the fans questions often remain unanswered, addressing the moral question about killing 'the monster of the week' in a fun and accessible way.
i was able to understand some issues as well as discover other which I was completely lay woman. This is a book for those who enjoy intelligent humor of the series.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I greatly enjoy this series of philosophy books and the television show, Supernatural. This book offered some insight into some interesting questions; some essays piqued my curiosity and will probably look into them further. I can certainly find myself revisiting some in the future. The reason this particular book got three stars, instead of four, is because some of the essays – in attempting to answer complex questions – used the Supernatural universe as a reality, instead of simply a jumping off point. This practice is well and good for 'possible worlds' hypotheses, but does little to attempt 'real-world' application. Nevertheless, a good book overall.

[Chani Moonshadow · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was quite a fun little book. Collection of discussions on philosophy and the series. A fun, light, afternoon quick read.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review on Cannonball Read.

[Erinn Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Interesting to read multiple views on choices made characters, instead of a one sided view many of us may have.

[Alicia Koster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome. But why do I feel like I've just been brain raped?