Calgary Public Library

The big bang theory and philosophy, rock, paper, scissors, Aristotle, Locke, Dean A. Kowalski, William Irwin

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

charts

index present

non fiction

The big bang theory and philosophy

electronic resource

dictionariesbibliography

792684066

Dean A. Kowalski, William Irwin

rock, paper, scissors, Aristotle, Locke

A lighthearted meditation on the philosophical quandaries of the hit television show The Big Bang TheoryEver wonder what Aristotle might say about the life Sheldon Cooper leads? Why Thomas Hobbes would applaud the roommate agreement? Who Immanuel Kant would treat with "haughty derision" for weaving "un-unravelable webs?" And--most importantly--whether Wil Wheaton is truly evil? Of course you have. Bazinga!This book mines the deep thinking of some of history's most potent philosophical minds to explore your most pressing questions about The Big Bang Theory and its nerdy genius characters. You mig

Cover; Contents; Title; Copyright; Acknowledgments; Dedication; Introduction: "Unraveling the Mysteries"; Part One: "It All Began on A Warm Summer's Evening in Greece"; Chapter 1: Aristotle on Sheldon Cooper; The Life of the Mind; The Ancient Greek and the Modern Geek; The Joy of Geekdom; Geeky Fun and the Purpose of Life; Trial of a Nerd; The Aristotle-Cooper Evaluation; Chapter 2: "You're a Sucky, Sucky Friend"; "Do You Have Any Books about Making Friends?"; "Did You Ever Consider Making Friends by Being ... Pleasant?"; "Kripke! What'd You Say of the Idea of You and I Becoming Friends?""To Make Friends ... Take an Interest in Their Lives""That's Insane on the Face of It"; "There Is No Algorithm for Making Friends!"; Chapter 3: The Big Bang Theory on the Use and Abuse of Modern Technology; Some Healthy Webcam-ing; Unhealthy Interactions; Virtual Vengeance; Aristotle's Mean; Aristotle in Television; Bright and Shiny Penny; Where Do We Go?; Part Two: "Is it Wrong To Say I Love Our Killer Robot?"; Chapter 4: Feeling Bad about Feeling Good; Lorre and Prady on Sheldon Cooper; Diagnosing Sheldon III: Functionality; What Is a Disability?; Chapter 5: ... But Is Wil Wheaton Evil?The Wheaton OccurrencesThe Theodicy Corollary; Beyond Good and Evil Wil--or, the Wrath of Sheldon; The Name-Calling and Line-Cutting Topologies; The Comic Book Paradigm; The Inscrutability Factor; Chapter 6: Do We Need a Roommate Agreement?; The Giant "Hedon" Collider; The Egoism Polarization; The Social Contract Instability; The Aristotelian Virtue Vortex; The Dennis Kim Conundrum; Part Three: "Perhaps You Mean A Different Thing Than I Do When You Say 'Science'"; Chapter 7: Getting Fundamental about Doing Physics in The Big Bang Theory; Studies in Sheldonology; A Unified Theory of Sheldon?Resolving a "Nonlovers" Quarrel (about Science)The Pragmatics of the Special Sciences; Chapter 8: Sheldon, Leonard, and Leslie; The Methods of Science; Theoretical "Discoveries"; The String Theory Paradigm; Hang-Ups, Breakups, and New Beginnings; Chapter 9: The One Paradigm to Rule Them All; The Data; The Background; The Controversy; The Ramifications; The Analysis; Chapter 10: Cooper Considerations; Magic Maharaja Macs?; Scientist Sons Scolded; Monumental Math Mysteries; Lifelong Lessons; Part Four: "I Need Your Opinion on A Matter of Semiotics."Chapter 11: Wittgenstein and Language Games in The Big Bang Theory"The Philosophy Is Theoretical, but the Fun Is Real"; "So, What Does That Mean?"; "Be Serious, We're Playing a Game Here"; "Figured Out the Magic Trick Yet?"; "It's a Nonoptional Social Convention," Stupid!; "Believe in Magic, You Muggle!"; Chapter 12: "I'm Afraid You Couldn't Be More Wrong!"; "More Wrong?"; "In None of Them Am I Dancing"; "I Think You Mean I'm Improbable"; The Cooper-Wrongness Paradox; "Of Course I'm Right--What Are the Odds I'd Be Wrong Twice in One Week?"