MONTY PYTHON AND PHILOSOPY

MONTY PYTHON AND PHILOSOPY

Professor Gary Hardcastle, Department of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point; Stevens Point, WI U.S.A, gave a lecture entitled - "Themes in Contemporary Analytic Philosophy as Reflected in the Work of Monty Python". The talk at the link below, was written in response to a request from the Philosophy Club at Virginia Tech, and has been delivered there a few times times in the last few years. It has video links to various skits, mentioned in the lecture.

(Very important in the Greek vs. German Philosopher Football match (soccer to most of us)is the fact that the winning goal (only goal) was scored by Archimedes, a philosopher NOT! He was a "ringer", a mathematician!)

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~ebarnes/python/python.htm

Gary Hardcastle and George Reish, have edited a book entitled "Monty Python and Philosophy: Nudge Nudge, Think Think!" (Popular Culture Philosophy). It contains 21 chapters, each by a different modern-day philosopher (most are professors). IT IS HILLARIOUS, and you get to learn a little about Philosophy and the Philosophers mentioned in "The Drinking Song" - I Drink Therefore, I Am!

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl also offers some scholarly info about humor in the “Jape" Professor sketch, Graham Chapman as the Prof. Here is a link to the whole text of that appearance, search for the word “Jape” (A technique out a living much used by the slap happy/slap you silly schtick Comedy Central of the Three Blind Stooges about ready to take off the stove and serve up. (No need for a carving knife here, the mice are wireless and therefore, have no balls.)

To expound - - - banana peels, ladders upon shoulders, the plate glass window being carried across the road, the 16 ton weight (as is the piano being hoisted up to the third floor via a pulley), and the hand-held cream pie (how does one defend themself from a hand-held cream pie attacker?) are all visual jokes = japes. Seeing them creates the anticipation of what physical harm will befall the falterer (Think of Sideshow Bob encountering 16 rakes in "The Simpson's" backyard!)

http://humorlinks.com/python/scripts/MontyPythonLiveAtTheHollywoodBowl.htm

See y’all later! Nyuck, Nyuck
Brother Maynard G.