Product Description
This New York Times bestseller is the hilarious philosophy course everyone wishes they’d had in school Outrageously funny, Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . . has been a breakout bestseller ever since authors—and born vaudevillians—Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein did their schtick on NPR’s Weekend Edition. Lively, original, and powerfully informative, Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar . . . is a not-so-reverent crash course through the great philosophical thinkers and traditions, from Existentialism (What do Hegel and Bette Midler have in common?) to Logic (Sherlock Holmes never deduced anything). Philosophy 101 for those who like to take the heavy stuff lightly, this is a joy to read—and finally, it all makes sense!

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 152 reviews)

The Bookschlepper Comments by Jean Sue Libkind (Philadelphia)

2 Stars
September 23, 2009
Philosophy has always stumped me; I can never remember what Nietzsche stood for and who Sartre was pissed at. Yet I continue to read books that might clear the fog; Sophie's World Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy (FSG Classics)was excellent in tracking the development of thought. I had high hopes that P&P would finally differentiate the roses from the thorns and the next time someone said something was Cartesian, I would know not only that they were talking about Descartes but what he symbolized. I can remember jokes, after all. Alas, no such luck and the jokes aren't all that funny.

A GREAT READ by Jay Jaboneta (Manila, Philippines)

5 Stars
August 30, 2009
I sure hope we used this as our class textbook on the subject of Introduction to Philosophy back in college. At first glance, you'd think the authors are kidding. But they sure as hell know what they are doing. The jokes really illuminate us about the different philosophical schools of thought. I hope schools and colleges adopt this so that more students will approach the often misunderstood world of Sophia.

Here's the perfect present by David Field (Merrimac, MA USA)

4 Stars
August 16, 2009
I suppose it all started with the "Why did the chicken cross the road" joke. In a senior moment recently, I recalled being told this and not getting it, and having to have it explained to me, and feeling that the form of the joke was unfair. Of course, what I was used to was bad puns, like "When is a door not a door? When it's ajar." These days just about every joke I like is like the Chicken one, so I tried to determine what's funny about it. Let's take the joke of the (minority group, like rednecks or blondes) who announce that they have a space program, and they're going to land a man on the sun. "You can't do that," I cry, "He'll be burnt to death!" And they give me that knowing look and say, "We've thought of that. We're going to land at night." So what makes these jokes funny? It's the fact that there are two kinds of reality here. The first is that the earth turns, so we don't see the sun for half the time. And the second is, the sun is incredibly hot, and "night" only applies on earth. So it's people who have a logical approach, only to fail to see that there's another logical approach that overrides it. And if you're still reading this far you might like the book Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . . by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein, which explains philosophy by jokes. And there are lots of jokes, and all of them are good, and there are so many that even I hadn't heard a few (and my wife is sick of me telling jokes). In theory, the authors tell a few jokes, and then try to draw parallels with the teachings of famous philosophers. This is where the book falls down. For my sins, I studied philosophy in the year of college before I dropped out, and although that was many years ago, I didn't make the links that the authors expected. I fact, I've steered clear of philosophy since my academic days, but I didn't get the feeling that I'd want to take it up again. You won't like this book if you're moral, and don't like jokes about God, or the occasional slightly rude joke. But for the other ninety-nine point nine percent of us, you'll laugh your way through. Just don't expect that you can argue with your brother-in-law about philosophy.

Surprisingly Delightful by Ann B. Keller (Cleveland, OH USA)

5 Stars
July 17, 2009
I chuckled my way through this book. Anyone who believes philosophy is dull and better relegated to the musty halls of the previous century will be both surprised and delighted by Plato and a Platypus Walk Into A Bar. The book opens with a quotation from Groucho Marx, thus setting the tone for the future! What follows is a delightful comparison of age-old philosophy from various schools of thought worldwide to today's modern, confusing and often downright hilarious world. Included in the book are humorous cartoons from several artists, a glossary of philosophical terms and a timeline of great moments in the history of philosophy. I laughed and I learned a bundle. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into A Bar is a must for every librarian, scholar, student, professor or New Age theorist who ever blinked up at the bright sun and quietly asked the question, "Why?" Good for general reading and, in my humble opinion, a most worthy addition to one's permanent library.

Old, lame jokes kill the book by Tom Anderson (Sacramento, CA)

1 Stars
July 09, 2009
If you're young, you may get something out of this book. But for me, the jokes were old when Milton Berle first stole them and Reader's Digest reprinted them. I winced my way through the lame jokes in the first chapter, and decided I couldn't stand any more. There are no original jokes in the book, so far as I can tell.

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