Stephen Colbert and Philosophy: I Am Philosophy (And So Can You!)

Popular Culture and Philosophy #41

by Aaron Allen Schiller

At the head of The Colbert Report, one of the most popular shows on television, Stephen Colbert is a pop culture phenomenon. More than one million people backed his fake candidacy in the 2008 U.S. presidential election on Facebook, a testament to the particularly rich set of issues and emotions Colbert brings to mind. Stephen Colbert and Philosophy is crammed with thoughtful and amusing chapters, each written by a philosopher and all focused on Colbert's inimitable reality — from his word creations (truthiness, wikiality, freem, and others) to his position as a faux-pundit who openly mocks Fox News and CNN. Although most of the discussion is centered around The Colbert Report, this collection does not neglect either his best-selling book, I Am America (And So Can You!), or his public performances, including his incendiary 2006 White House Press Correspondents' Dinner speech.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Humor, Politics, Comedy

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2009

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the essays seemed to stretch the connection between Stephen Colbert/The Colbert Report and philosophy, but the book does cover two very good subjects (i.e. Stephen Colbert and philosophy), therefore it can't be all that bad. Even the articles that made only a minimal connection between The Man and The Subject were still informative regarding philosophy.

One of the most (if not *the* most) "!!!!" moments of the book for me was in Mark Ralkowski's article "Is Stephen Colbert America's Socrates?" He writes, "There is a paradox here. Colbert (i) intends to illustrate hypocrisy as a character, but (ii) he doesn’t expect to change things. This says something about us, Colbert's audience. He intends to tell or show us the truth, but he doesn't expect us to do anything with it. We are the ultimate targets of Colbert's condescending irony. America is Colbert's Euthyphro, the self-satisfied one who is ignorant and ignorant of his ignorance, (bold added) the target of Socrates' thinly veiled scorn" (p. 150). That was the moment when I went "Oh, my God…. this is deep. We *are* Colbert's target, aren't we?!? He's laughing at *us*!"

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course it's funny. It also has a few essays that help explain some basic ideas in philosophy and in economics for those of us who usually look at those fields of study and say "What?".

[Farrah · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book using Stephen Colbert as a vehicle through which to explain philosophical inferences, I liked it. For entertainment value, I was in a fiction mood and should never have started reading it knowing that I would have to finish it no matter what.

Some great lines:

If your friend has a MORAL RIGHT to his opinion you have a certain kind of moral duty to treat his opinion a certain way

he isn't interested in truth, he is interested in believing what makes him intellectually comfortable. he thinks you have a duty not to make him uncomfortable with new ideas

Universal truth vs moral relativism (thinking from the gut) (truthiness) (moral doubt)

the idea of "intellectual impatience" is one I've often used to describe the experience in art appreciation of reading a novel vs. looking at a painting. the former is lengthy while the latter is instantly finished and thus the recipient able to form an opinion

It's the birthright of every new generation to utter the words "I remember when Saturday Night Live was funny"

It used to be that people were entitled to their own opinion not their own facts but that's not the case anymore.

[Kath · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a long time fan of the man (his previous gig on the Daily Show) and the characters he created, i am intrigued by this book.

The title is not definitive enough: Stephen as a real person v, the CHARACTER he portrays these days on his show. The book is about the character.

So far, it's been a little uneven (salient v. snide), but it does ask some very good questions regarding close-minded folks and our perceptions. I am hoping to develop some skills in improving my interaction with people with Colbert the character traits.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of essays that use philosophy to highlight why Colbert should be celebrated. Hopefully along the way you are also able to have a deeper appreciation of philosophy. Of course in a collection such as this not all the articles are created equal; some are better than others. It was fun to stretch my philosophy muscles that haven't had much use since the philosophy comic book I read last year.

[Lee (Rocky) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of essays, ostensibly about the philosophy of Stephen Colbert. Some of them explain Colbert's philosophy, while others use Colbert to illustrate various concepts that are debated in philosophy. As one might expect, a lot of the essays are pretty shallow. Others are a lot more engaging. A good, fast read.

[Guillermo Galvan]

I didn't rate this book because I never finished it. Since the book had "STEPHEN COLBERT" printed on the cover, I was under the impression that the book would have some stuff, you know, written by "STEPHEN COLBERT." Instead, I found a bunch of weirdo fan-boys I've never heard of, writing about "STEPHEN COLBERT."

I don't know if the book is any good.

[Rumpelstiltskin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen some negative reviews of this book. Don't listen to them. This is pretty insightful and funny stuff. I agree with the first reviewer: a few the essays will give you "aha" moments.

[Stan Paulsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and enlightening.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to think while reading this!

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting series of essays on how Stephen Colbert illustrates certain philosophical principles, or exploring the philosophical implications of his show. Not mind blowing, but it was a good read.

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subtly humorous analysis of Truthiness from various philosophical viewpoints. Very Playful.