Everything I Know I Learned From TV: Philosophy for the Unrepentant Couch Potato Book

I'm never quite sure how to award star ratings to books, music or movies. What makes a 5-star better than a 4-star, or when does a 4-star become a 3-star and on and on. What I would say is that this is quite a lightweight book, and upon consideration, that's actually a good thing.

I originally gave it four stars, then thought, well, it's lightweight. Surely that's grounds for one star less? Then I considered what I'm currently reading, which is A. C. Grayling's What Is Good? Now, these two books are setting out to do the same things, essentially: inform the casual but interested reader about broad, historical strands of philosophical thought through the ages. They both take on ideas about ethics, schools of thought, etc.

The difference is that Rowlands uses eight incredibly popular television series as teaching aids. So, 24' forms the backdrop to his chapter about justice, while Aristotlian and Cartesian points of view are pivoted over Sex and the City>. Seinfeld, The Simpsons and The Sopranos are similarly sites of discussion.

Grayling, thus far, has rounded on 'Oriental' religion as his bête noir. So so you get your explanations of Stoics, Epicureans and Cynics all with an undertone of 'Christianity ruined all this wonderful, progressive thought'. He's got an axe to grind, but from a starting point that I just can't quite buy.

So, back to the matter at hand. Rowlands's book. It certainly does grab the attention and provide an excellent overview of the subjects to hand, complete with illustrations drawn from the TV shows in question. You might be a little bit lost if you've not actually seen the series from which he draws, but then again, you're probably not the people he has in mind as his reader. It's all well explained, full of all the names you might need to chase up and investigate further. And more than that, you do feel that Rowlands has an excellent grasp of the subject matter, both the philosophy and the TV shows. In fairness, it doesn't always work quite as well as it could, but it really is a good starting point for TV buffs looking for justification for their couch potato ways and a yen for philosophical thought.

That's my ramble for now.