Description

Book Synopsis
An in-depth look at the philosophical issues behind HBO''s Game of Thrones television series and the books that inspired it

George R.R. Martin''s New York Times bestselling epic fantasy book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, and the HBO television show adapted from it, have earned critical acclaim and inspired fanatic devotion. This book delves into the many philosophical questions that arise in this complex, character-driven series, including: Is it right for a good king to usurp the throne of a bad one and murder his family? How far should you go to protect your family and its secrets? In a fantasy universe with medieval mores and ethics, can female characters reflect modern feminist ideals?

  • Timed for the premiere of the second season of the HBO Game of Thrones series
  • Gives new perspectives on the characters, storylines, and themes of Game of Thrones
  • Draws on great philosophers from ancient Greece to modern America t

    Table of Contents

    FOREWORD by Elio M. Garcia and Linda Antonsson ix

    A RAVE N FROM HOUSE WI LEY: Editor’s Note on Spoilers xiii

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: How I Was Spared from Having to Take the Black xv

    Introduction: So What if Winter Is Coming? 1
    Henry Jacoby

    PART ONE “YOU WIN OR YOU DIE”

    1 Maester Hobbes Goes to King’s Landing 5
    Greg Littmann

    2 It Is a Great Crime to Lie to a King 19
    Don Fallis

    3 Playing the Game of Thrones: Some Lessons from Machiavelli 33
    Marcus Schulzke

    4 The War in Westeros and Just War Theory 49
    Richard H. Corrigan

    PART TWO “THE THINGS I DO FOR LOVE”

    5 Winter Is Coming!: The Bleak Quest for Happiness in Westeros 63
    Eric J. Silverman

    6 The Death of Lord Stark: The Perils of Idealism 75
    David Hahn

    7 Lord Eddard Stark, Queen Cersei Lannister: Moral Judgments from Different Perspectives 87
    Albert J. J. Anglberger and Alexander Hieke

    8 It Would Be a Mercy: Choosing Life or Death in Westeros and Beyond the Narrow Sea 99
    Matthew Tedesco

    PART THREE “WINTER IS COMING”

    9 Wargs, Wights, and Wolves That Are Dire: Mind and Metaphysics, Westeros Style 115
    Henry Jacoby

    10 Magic, Science, and Metaphysics in A Game of Thrones 129
    Edward Cox

    11 “You Know Nothing, Jon Snow”: Epistemic Humility Beyond the Wall 142
    Abraham P. Schwab

    12 “Why Is the World So Full of Injustice?”: Gods and the Problem of Evil 154
    Jaron Daniël Schoone

    PART FOUR “THE MAN WHO PASSES THE SENTENCE SHOULD SWING THE SWORD”

    13 Why Should Joffrey Be Moral If He Has Already Won the Game of Thrones? 169
    Daniel Haas

    14 The Moral Luck of Tyrion Lannister 183
    Christopher Robichaud

    15 Dany’s Encounter with the Wild: Cultural Relativism in A Game of Thrones 194
    Katherine Tullman

    16 “There Are No True Knights”: The Injustice of Chivalry 205
    Stacey Goguen

    PART FIVE “STICK THEM WITH THE POINTY END”

    17 Fate, Freedom, and Authenticity in A Game of Thrones 223
    Michael J. Sigrist

    18 No One Dances the Water Dance 236
    Henry Jacoby

    19 The Things I Do For Love: Sex, Lies, and Game Theory 250
    R. Shannon Duval

    20 Stop the Madness!: Knowledge, Power, and Insanity in A Song of Ice and Fire 264
    Chad William Timm

    CONTRIBUTORS: The Learned Lords and Ladies from beyond the Seven Kingdoms 279

    INDEX: From the Archives at Oldtown 287

Game of Thrones and Philosophy

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    A Paperback / softback by William Irwin, Henry Jacoby

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      Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
      Publication Date: 09/03/2012
      ISBN13: 9781118161999, 978-1118161999
      ISBN10: 1118161998
      Also in:
      Entertainment Television Philosophy

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      An in-depth look at the philosophical issues behind HBO''s Game of Thrones television series and the books that inspired it

      George R.R. Martin''s New York Times bestselling epic fantasy book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, and the HBO television show adapted from it, have earned critical acclaim and inspired fanatic devotion. This book delves into the many philosophical questions that arise in this complex, character-driven series, including: Is it right for a good king to usurp the throne of a bad one and murder his family? How far should you go to protect your family and its secrets? In a fantasy universe with medieval mores and ethics, can female characters reflect modern feminist ideals?

      • Timed for the premiere of the second season of the HBO Game of Thrones series
      • Gives new perspectives on the characters, storylines, and themes of Game of Thrones
      • Draws on great philosophers from ancient Greece to modern America t

        Table of Contents

        FOREWORD by Elio M. Garcia and Linda Antonsson ix

        A RAVE N FROM HOUSE WI LEY: Editor’s Note on Spoilers xiii

        ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: How I Was Spared from Having to Take the Black xv

        Introduction: So What if Winter Is Coming? 1
        Henry Jacoby

        PART ONE “YOU WIN OR YOU DIE”

        1 Maester Hobbes Goes to King’s Landing 5
        Greg Littmann

        2 It Is a Great Crime to Lie to a King 19
        Don Fallis

        3 Playing the Game of Thrones: Some Lessons from Machiavelli 33
        Marcus Schulzke

        4 The War in Westeros and Just War Theory 49
        Richard H. Corrigan

        PART TWO “THE THINGS I DO FOR LOVE”

        5 Winter Is Coming!: The Bleak Quest for Happiness in Westeros 63
        Eric J. Silverman

        6 The Death of Lord Stark: The Perils of Idealism 75
        David Hahn

        7 Lord Eddard Stark, Queen Cersei Lannister: Moral Judgments from Different Perspectives 87
        Albert J. J. Anglberger and Alexander Hieke

        8 It Would Be a Mercy: Choosing Life or Death in Westeros and Beyond the Narrow Sea 99
        Matthew Tedesco

        PART THREE “WINTER IS COMING”

        9 Wargs, Wights, and Wolves That Are Dire: Mind and Metaphysics, Westeros Style 115
        Henry Jacoby

        10 Magic, Science, and Metaphysics in A Game of Thrones 129
        Edward Cox

        11 “You Know Nothing, Jon Snow”: Epistemic Humility Beyond the Wall 142
        Abraham P. Schwab

        12 “Why Is the World So Full of Injustice?”: Gods and the Problem of Evil 154
        Jaron Daniël Schoone

        PART FOUR “THE MAN WHO PASSES THE SENTENCE SHOULD SWING THE SWORD”

        13 Why Should Joffrey Be Moral If He Has Already Won the Game of Thrones? 169
        Daniel Haas

        14 The Moral Luck of Tyrion Lannister 183
        Christopher Robichaud

        15 Dany’s Encounter with the Wild: Cultural Relativism in A Game of Thrones 194
        Katherine Tullman

        16 “There Are No True Knights”: The Injustice of Chivalry 205
        Stacey Goguen

        PART FIVE “STICK THEM WITH THE POINTY END”

        17 Fate, Freedom, and Authenticity in A Game of Thrones 223
        Michael J. Sigrist

        18 No One Dances the Water Dance 236
        Henry Jacoby

        19 The Things I Do For Love: Sex, Lies, and Game Theory 250
        R. Shannon Duval

        20 Stop the Madness!: Knowledge, Power, and Insanity in A Song of Ice and Fire 264
        Chad William Timm

        CONTRIBUTORS: The Learned Lords and Ladies from beyond the Seven Kingdoms 279

        INDEX: From the Archives at Oldtown 287

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