Lost and Philosophy: The Island Has Its Reasons (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)

"Editor Sharon Kaye and a team of authors have penned a thinking person's guide to exploring the philosophical territories mined in the hit television series "Lost." A book for those who know television doesn't have to be a wasteland of throw-away ideas; "Lost and Philosophy" takes you deep into the island's philosophical jungle." -Tory Brecht, The Dispatch/ Argus "Imagine a setting on your television for 'Philosophical Analysis', right next to 'Subtitles'. Lost and Philosophy is such a setting, one that works from inside your own head. Life, let alone television, will never be the same again. Switch it on." -Dr. Deborah Brown, The University of Queensland "Let's face it: We're all lost in the cosmos, dropped at birth into the ongoing mysteries of our remote planetary island where each of us is challenged to make the best of this odd situation we share with our companions. Lost and Philosophy shows how one remarkable television series illuminates the human condition and poses some of the deepest questions we all need to answer. Reading this excellent book will help you peel back the layers of the show, and your life." -Tom Morris, Bestselling author of If Aristotle Ran General Motors , If Harry Potter Ran General Electric, and Philosophy for Dummies "The concepts are well-defined and presented...You don't have to be a philosophy major to understand...takes the experience of the show and makes it 'one louder.'" TLChicken.com "Questions about life, love and destiny...That's the focus of 21 thought-provoking yet reader-friendly essays that explore the many references to philosophy in the popular series." Wave Magazine

Sometimes it feels like you need a Ph.D. to follow the show. But you don't. You just need this book in which twenty-one philosophers explore the deep questions we all face as survivors on this planet: Does "everything happen for a reason"? Is torture ever justified? Who are the Others? How do we know we're not patients in Hurley's psych ward? What if the Dharma Intitiative is experimenting on us? Desmond may not be able to save Charlie, but this book could save you. * A provocative study of the hit television show, Lost, currently in its third season and set to reach its climax in 2010 * Highlights the sense in which Lost is a genuinely philosophical show * Helps fans understand and navigate some of Lost's deeper meanings * Connects episodes and events in the show to core philosophical issues such as truth, identity, and morality * Shows that it's no accident that there are Lost characters names Locke, Rousseau, and Hume