Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . . : Understanding Philosophy through Jokes, by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. (Abrams Image 2007) [B&T Books] BD31.C38 2006.

Outside a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside it's too dark to read.
--Groucho Marx

I hear timing is everything. Some philosophers are just plain funny (John Scotus Eriugena¹ our own Professor Bagley comes to mind). Then there's me. Okay, I'm a librarian, but follow me here. Anyone who as worked with me for any time, knows that I cannot tell a joke well to save my neck, but that love to share them. Don't take my word for it, check out my office door (it's the one next to the elevator in the library). So just let my hair grow out and put it a bun, okay. Then again, I also love puns--so maybe timing isn't quite everything.

Material might count for something, of which Plato and a Platypus have in a super-abundance. The thesis behind the remarkably short tome is quite simple: humor sticks. More than that, humor and philosophy often have shared traits. This is most pronounced in Cathcart and Klein's most successful section that of logic. Who knew? Far from being the dry abstracted subject undergrads tremble and sleep before (except in Professor Bagley's class), logic is a laugh-riot. This is mostly because both logic and logical fallacies (on one end) and jokes on the other depend on structure and bringing out unexpected meanings in language. Cathcart and Klein illustrate these principles perfectly.

Speaking of structure, each chapter begins with a dialog between the student (Dimitri) and the philosopher (Tasso). Although the two border on Vaudeville, there is often enough to give the reader an idea of what is coming up. The treatment is light-hearted and the jokes (often very familiar jokes) simply serve as illustrations. The basics are covered: Metaphysics, Logic, Epistemology, Ethics, etc. and most topics are covered well enough for the novice to get her foot in the door just before the professor slams it shut.

There are weaknesses to be had, however. As the book progresses the jokes appear more like comic relief than illustrations. Also, while Cathcart and Klein manage to do such middle-tier philosophers as Leibniz justice (no offense to Leibniz, as can be seen on my homepage, he's one of my favorites), they skip Medieval Philosophers altogether and does a poor job with Philosophy of Religion (although the timeline entry on Pascal is pretty good).

Even so, if you don't know anything about philosophy or find it impenetrably dull, read this book. You might change your mind, and it can't hurt. If you already love philosophy, pick the book up anyway. The jokes are good and the straight lines aren't bad either. If you teach philosophy and need new material, stay away from this book. Timing is still something.

Jimm Wetherbee

If Palto and a Platypus looks good, here are some other interesting Baker and Taylor Books. . .

• Evolution for Everyone by David Sloan Wilson.
  Call Number: B818.W665 2007
• Moral Minds, by Marc D. Hauser
  Call Number: BJ1012.348 2006

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¹Much to Cathcart and Klein’s shame, medieval philosopher Eriugena receives no mention at all, and well he deserves it; not so much for his philosophy but because the following exchange he and Charles the Bald had while dining one evening:

Charles: What is the difference between a Philosopher and Fool?
Eriugena: The breath of a table, m’ lord.

Updated August 14, 2008