Plato and a platypus walk into a bar--

understanding philosophy through jokes

by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein, Thomas Cathcart

Paperback, 215 pages

English language

Published Jan. 25, 2008 by Penguin Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-14-311387-4

Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar – Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes is a 2007 book by Thomas Wilson Cathcart and Daniel Martin Klein that explains several philosophical concepts with the help of jokes that serve to illustrate the points in the book. The concept behind the book in the Introduction: “The construction and payoff of jokes and the construction and payoff of philosophical concepts are made out of the same stuff. They tease the mind in the same ways…philosophy and jokes proceed from the same impulse: to confound our sense of the way things are, to flip our worlds upside down, and to ferret out hidden, often uncomfortable, truths about life. What the philosopher calls an insight, the gagster calls a zinger."

4 editions

Karel T reviewed Plato and a platypus walk into a bar-- by Thomas Cathcart

Fun little introduction to Philosophy

4 stars

The book goes very quickly over some of the different branches of philosophy. It does this by using cheesy jokes to explain different concepts. It's nowhere in depth but might be a good introduction for someone who just discovered philosophy

markm reviewed Plato and a platypus walk into a bar-- by Thomas Cathcart

Review of 'Plato and a platypus walk into a bar--' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This book was a gift from an anonymous benefactor. You cannot learn any philosophy from it and it might confuse what understanding you already have. Many of the jokes are Jewish jokes (i.e. jokes that Jews tell) that were already in my repertoire and some of these are true classics, but a few of the jokes are not usable in today's world. You can read the whole thing in a short time, and I think you will find several jokes that you will like unless you are humorless.