[7PK]∎ [PDF] Action Philosophers Vol 1 Fred Van Lente Ryan Dunlavey 9780977832903 Books

Action Philosophers Vol 1 Fred Van Lente Ryan Dunlavey 9780977832903 Books

Download As PDF : Action Philosophers Vol 1 Fred Van Lente Ryan Dunlavey 9780977832903 Books

Action Philosophers Vol 1 Fred Van Lente Ryan Dunlavey 9780977832903 Books

This is great-fun and informative.Highly recommended for those who would like to learn a little about philosophers and philosophy but are not sure of how much they would like to invest in the search. Great fun for those who know about the subject and there are some surprises , I believe, even for those who feel themselves well-versed in the subject.


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Action Philosophers Vol 1 Fred Van Lente Ryan Dunlavey 9780977832903 Books Reviews

As a philosophy major who just recently became captivated by comic books (after reading "Blankets"), Action Philosophers(!) seemed like the perfect fit. After receiving and reading it, it's definitely not the masterpiece I had secretly hoped for. However, it is still an excellent book that I would recommend to anybody who wants to know more about philosophy but has trouble grasping the often complicated texts.

The format of Action Philosophers is as such Each chapter is devoted to a different philosopher, with a narrator explaining the philosopher's thoughts as the panels depict visual aid, either in a picture of the philosophy or a picture of the philosopher demonstrating this concepts. The philosophers displayed are given appearances that parody either their philosophies or their personal lives (for instance, Plato is drawn as a pro wrestle and talks like an unintelligent brute, while the earliest greek philosophers are drawn with traits of the elements they believed formed the universe). While some of the chapters are written as literal biographies, others depict fictional events, either to display the philosophy better (Kant is depicted as a lawyer defending God) or simply add humor (Mill's chapter is a Charlie Brown parody.)

Of the visual aids.. I often found them amusing but otherwise uninformative. Very often a panel that could really help explain things feels rushed, and on more than one occasion a "humorous" picture is given far too much priority on a page. For instance, in Craig Thompson's "Blankets," Craig tells of Plato's "cave" analogy, using excellent images to depict what can be difficult to imagine while also comparing it to a situation the reader can better relate to. In Action Philosophers, the cave scene is depicted as a group of shackled people watching a movie. But the cave analogy represented how our senses made us believe things were real when they weren't, and displayed the illusions as being a part of the truth. The movie analogy may be more contemporary and funnier, but it avoids some of the key points of Plato's philosophy.

The "contemporary" issue is probably the biggest error Action Philosophers makes. On literally the first chapter of the book, the narrator states of Thales "You'd think his mad mental skills would have won Thales some props from his peeps. You'd be wrong..." Certainly this quote was intended as a joke. However, the "joke" continues on for much of the comic. It feels childish, and for a while I took this feel to mean the book was intended for children (until the sexual references convinced me otherwise). After a while you begin to feel like you're being talked down to by the writers. Comic book readers can be mature, and I was hoping this book would better understand that.

On the other hand, while the art serves only to keep you amused, the text provides some excellently comprehensible summaries on the philosophical teachings. Nietzsche was profoundly understandable regardless of his normally complicated teachings, for instance. And while the art style does not show nearly as much effort and style as I would have liked, it certainly isn't bad.

Overall, if you're into philosophy and comics I recommend you look into this book, as it is actually a very accessible way to learn some elementary philosophy before going into the heavier texts. However, if you're a comic book fan hoping to use this book to get into philosophy, or a philosophy fan attempting to get into comic books, this is not your entry level material. While certainly interesting, it does not satisfy as a great comic book nor a great philosophical text, rather falling under "better than average" in both.
I have all three volumes of this series, and they are definitely aimed at a youth market with a certain, shall we say, colorfulness of language that as a mature adult I found bordering on excessive. However, once past that in today's brave new world, this series is valuable for a thumbnail picture of names you've heard often but don't want to read a whole book to find out what Sartre or Spinoza et al were really up to. Also good, but a little more academic, is the series by Paul Strathern "Philosophers in 90 minutes" (a fast reader only needs 45 to 60 minutes).
A wonderful and entertaining graphic overview of philosophy, the hardcover edition of the "Action Philosophers" series is a huge improvement over the trade paperbacks.

Not only are the supplemental materials enlightening, but the creators have re-ordered the presentation of the philosophies they humorously (and accurately) summarize by chronology. As you read you see how each conception of how the world works builds on its predecessors and refines the way we think about life, our place in the cosmos, and religion.

Highly recommended for someone with a interest in philosophy who'd like an illustrated, funny, Cliff's Notes version of various philosophies to help them grasp the fundamentals.
This is without a doubt one of the funniest things I've ever read. And, shockingly (at least to me) it is also one of the most accurate I've ever read too. I have a B.A. in Philosophy and have just recently earned a M.A. in another discipline. With the exception of Derrida and Aquinas I have had exposure in an academic setting to all of the philosophers covered in here. I picked up this comic on a whim and didn't expect much (but heck, it's only eight bucks, what have I got to lose). I was laughing out loud at some of the stuff in there (I'll never forget the image of Aquinas' delusional bunny facing down the big rig truck screaming, "BRING IT ON!!! I CANNOT NOT BE!!!"). But, none (I repeat NONE) of the substantive material of any of the philosophers is sacrificed and equally impressive none (I repeat NONE) of the humor is diluted by the philosophical material. For example, Wittgenstein is covered with an accuracy I have seen in few introductory philosophy texts. Overall, this is the perfect marriage of accuracy, humor, and freakin' awesome comic genius. If you are a beginning philosophy student (e.g., no formal training but are interested in the field), an intermediate student (some philosophy classes in a university setting), or an advanced student (a degree from a university or actively pursuing post-baccalaureate studies in philosophy) you will find something of value in this. Beginners will have to read it more than once to get all the substantive ideas if you've had no exposure to them and then need to go to source material with good secondary sources to help guide you. Intermediate or advanced students will have to read it more than once because you'll be laughing so hard you won't be able to get all the jokes the first time through.

Further Recs (Beginners) Anthony Appiah's "Thinking It Through" (BEST intro to contemporary philosophy I've ever encountered. There actually IS a reason to read Descartes, Hobbes, Plato, and all those other dead white dudes that relate to topics philosophers are talking about TODAY.)
Further Recs (Intermediate) Bryan Magee's "Confessions of a Philosopher" (You can justify squeezing in a book that's not for class because technically it IS a philosophy book)
Further Recs (Advanced) Scott Soames 2 Vol "Philosophical Analysis in the 20th Century" (If your academic training was anything similar to mine, you were trained in some sort of analytic philosophy. This gives a good bird's eye view of all the faults AND virtues in our mother tongue.)
This is great-fun and informative.Highly recommended for those who would like to learn a little about philosophers and philosophy but are not sure of how much they would like to invest in the search. Great fun for those who know about the subject and there are some surprises , I believe, even for those who feel themselves well-versed in the subject.