William Irwin (philosopher)
Encyclopedia
William Irwin is professor of Philosophy
and Director of the Honors Program at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
. He was born in 1970 and raised in Yonkers, New York
. Irwin attended Regis High School
in Manhattan
, an elite Jesuit institution, graduating in 1988. He received his B.A. in Philosophy from Fordham University
in 1992 where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa cum Laude, having attended Fordham on a full Presidential Scholarship. He later received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
in 1996 at the age of 26. Irwin’s dissertation, “Harmonizing Hermeneutics: The Normative and Descriptive Approaches, Interpretation and Criticism,” was awarded the Perry Prize for Outstanding Dissertations in Philosophy. His dissertation director was Jorge J.E. Gracia. E.D. Hirsch, Jr. was his external evaluator.
Irwin’s first book, Intentionalist Interpretation: A Philosophical Explanation and Defense, was nominated for the American Philosophical Association Young Scholar’s Book Prize and was the subject of a special book session at the annual meeting of the Canadian Society for Hermeneutics and Postmodern Thought in May 2000. Irwin has published scholarly articles in leading journals such as Philosophy and Literature
and The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism.
Irwin is best known for having originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books with Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing in 1999 and then the very popular The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer
in 2001. He was editor of these books and then series editor of the Popular Culture and Philosophy Series through Open Court Publishing Company
, producing titles such as Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts, Star Wars and Philosophy: More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine, Superheroes and Philosophy: Truth, Justice, and the Socratic Way, and many others. Carlin Romano from The Chronicle of Higher Education
called the Popular Culture and Philosophy Series “the most serious philosophy series on the market, if some link between academic seriousness and real life still exists.” In an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Stephen T. Asma called William Irwin the “chief architect” of the philosophy and popular culture movement.
In 2006, Irwin left Open Court to become the General Editor of The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series through Wiley-Blackwell (publisher). Reuters
(now Thomson Reuters
) reported that Irwin’s books have sold more than one million copies. South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today
was the first in that series, published in 2006. Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery followed shortly thereafter; Scott Ian from Anthrax (band)
called it “a kick-ass read.” Irwin is quoted in USA Today as claiming that "the books are about smart popular culture for smart fans.”
Irwin first theorized the philosophy and pop culture genre in his article “Philosophy as/and/of Popular Culture” in Irwin and Gracia eds. Philosophy and the Interpretation of Popular Culture (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), pp. 41-63. In 2010 he explained the motivation for the series and defended it against critics in an article in The Philosophers’ Magazine titled “Fancy Taking a Pop?” http://www.philosophypress.co.uk/?p=1131
When Irwin was with Open Court, he edited The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real, which Anderson Cooper
referred to as an "interesting collection of thoughts on the movie and its place in the world" in an interview with Irwin. Irwin also discussed a follow-up book, More Matrix and Philosophy: Revolutions and Reloaded Decoded, in an interview with Keith Olbermann
.
Irwin has appeared as a guest on hundreds of radio and television shows. He has been interviewed by Time, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, USA Today, the BBC, CNN, NPR, and MSNBC, among others. In a 2010 interview with Time, Irwin said “Philosophy has had a bad rap for centuries. People mistakenly think it has nothing to do with their everyday lives, including enjoying media.” http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2009261,00.html .
A picture and description of one of Irwin’s tattoos appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education blog: http://chronicle.com/blogPost/And-Still-More-Scholarly-Ink/20545/ .
Books in the Series:
Vol. 1 Robert Arp
ed., South Park and Philosophy (2006);
Vol. 2 William Irwin ed., Metallica and Philosophy (2007) ;
Vol. 3 Jeremy Wisnewski ed., Family Guy and Philosophy (2007);
Vol. 4 Jason Holt ed., The Daily Show and Philosophy (2007);
Vol. 5 Sharon Kaye ed., Lost and Philosophy (2007);
Vol. 6 Davis, Weed, and Weed eds., 24 and Philosophy ( 2007);
Vol. 7 Jeremy Wisnewski ed., The Office and Philosophy (2007);
Vol. 8 Jason T. Eberl ed., Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy (2008);
Vol. 9 Mark White and Robert Arp eds. Batman and Philosophy (2008);
Vol. 10 Henry Jacoby ed., House M.D. and Philosophy (2008);
Vol. 11 Mark White ed., Watchmen and Philosophy (2009);
Vol. 12 Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski eds., X-Men and Philosophy (2009);
Vol. 13 Richard Brown and Kevin s. Decker eds., Terminator and Philosophy (2009);
Vol. 14 David Kyle Johnson ed., Heroes and Philosophy (2009);
Vol. 14 Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski eds., Twilight and Philosophy (2009);
Vol. 16 Jason P. Blahuta and Michel S. Beaulieu eds., Final Fantasy and Philosophy (2009);
Vol. 17 Richard Davis ed., Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol. 18 Mark White ed., Iron Man and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol. 19 Kristopher Phiilips and J. Jeremy Wisnewski eds., Arrested Development and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol. 20 Gregory Bassham ed., Harry Potter and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol. 21 George A. Dunn and Rebecca Housel eds., True Blood and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Col. 22 J.J. Sanford ed., Spider-Man and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol. 23 J. Jeremy Wisnewski ed., 30 Rock and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol. 24 Gegory Bassham and Eric Bronson eds. The Hobbit and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol 25 Jane Dryden and Mark White eds., Green Lantern and Philosophy (forthcoming 2011).
Series Editor, Popular Culture and Philosophy (Open Court Publishing).
Books in the series:
Vol. 1 William Irwin ed. Seinfeld and Philosophy (1999);
Vol. 2 Irwin, Conard, and Skoble eds. The Simpsons and Philosophy (2001);
Vol. 3 William Irwin ed. The Matrix and Philosophy (2002);
Vol. 4 James South ed., Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy (2003);
Vol. 5 Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson eds., The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy (2003);
Vol. 6 Eric Bronson ed., Baseball and Philosophy (Winter 2004);
Vol. 7 Richard Greene and Peter Vernezze eds., The Sopranos and Philosophy (Spring 2004);
Vol. 8 Mark Conard and Aeon Skoble eds., Woody Allen and Philosophy (Fall 2004);
Vol. 9 David Baggett and Shawn Klein eds., Harry Potter and Philosophy (Fall 2004);
Vol. 10 Jorge J.E. Gracia ed., Mel Gibson’s Passion and Philosophy (Fall 2004).
Vol. 11 William Irwin ed., More Matrix and Philosophy (Winter 2005);
Vol. 12 Tom Morris and Matt Morris eds., Superheroes and Philosophy (Spring 2005);
Vol. 13 Jason Eberl and Kevin Decker eds., Star Wars and Philosophy (Spring 2005);
Vol. 14 Lisa Heldke, Kerri Mommer, and Cindy Pineo eds., The Atkins Diet and Philosophy (Fall 2005);
Vol. 15 Gregory Bassham and Jerry Walls eds., The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy (Fall 2005);
Vol. 16 Derrick Darby and Tommy Shelby eds., Hip-Hop and Philosophy (Fall 2005);
Vol. 17 Peter Venrnezze and Carl Porter eds., Bob Dylan and Philosophy (Winter 2006);
Vol. 18 Gary Hardcastle and George Reisch eds., Monty Python and Philosophy (Spring 2006);
Vol. 19 Carolyn Madia-Gray, Kerri Mommer, and Cynthia Pineo eds., Harley Davidson and Philosophy (Spring 2006);
Vol. 20 Eric Bronson ed., Poker and Philosophy (Spring 2006);
Vol. 21 Mark Wrathall ed., U2 and Philosophy (Spring 2006);
Vol. 22 Greene et al. ed., The Undead and Philosophy (Fall 2006);
Vol. 23 Held and South eds., James Bond and Philosophy (Fall 2006);
Vol. 24 Baur and Baur eds., The Beatles and Philosophy (Fall 2006);
Vol. 25 Drumin and Baggett eds., Alfred Hitchcock and Philosophy (Winter 2007).
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and Director of the Honors Program at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
. He was born in 1970 and raised in Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
. Irwin attended Regis High School
Regis High School (New York City)
Regis High School is a private Jesuit university-preparatory school for academically gifted Roman Catholic young men located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Annual class enrollment is limited to approximately 135 male students from the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state area...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, an elite Jesuit institution, graduating in 1988. He received his B.A. in Philosophy from Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
in 1992 where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa cum Laude, having attended Fordham on a full Presidential Scholarship. He later received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo or UB, is a public research university and a "University Center" in the State University of New York system. The university was founded by Millard Fillmore in 1846. UB has multiple campuses...
in 1996 at the age of 26. Irwin’s dissertation, “Harmonizing Hermeneutics: The Normative and Descriptive Approaches, Interpretation and Criticism,” was awarded the Perry Prize for Outstanding Dissertations in Philosophy. His dissertation director was Jorge J.E. Gracia. E.D. Hirsch, Jr. was his external evaluator.
Irwin’s first book, Intentionalist Interpretation: A Philosophical Explanation and Defense, was nominated for the American Philosophical Association Young Scholar’s Book Prize and was the subject of a special book session at the annual meeting of the Canadian Society for Hermeneutics and Postmodern Thought in May 2000. Irwin has published scholarly articles in leading journals such as Philosophy and Literature
Philosophy and literature
Philosophy and literature is the literary treatment of philosophers and philosophical themes, and the philosophical treatment of issues raised by literature.-The philosophy of literature:...
and The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism.
Irwin is best known for having originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books with Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing in 1999 and then the very popular The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer
The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer
The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer is a non-fiction book analyzing the philosophy and popular culture effects of the American animated sitcom, The Simpsons, published by Open Court. The book is edited by William Irwin, Mark T. Conard and Aeon J...
in 2001. He was editor of these books and then series editor of the Popular Culture and Philosophy Series through Open Court Publishing Company
Open Court Publishing Company
The Open Court Publishing Company is a publisher with offices in Chicago and La Salle, Illinois. It is part of the Carus Publishing Company of Peru, Illinois.-History:...
, producing titles such as Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts, Star Wars and Philosophy: More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine, Superheroes and Philosophy: Truth, Justice, and the Socratic Way, and many others. Carlin Romano from The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty, staff members and administrators....
called the Popular Culture and Philosophy Series “the most serious philosophy series on the market, if some link between academic seriousness and real life still exists.” In an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Stephen T. Asma called William Irwin the “chief architect” of the philosophy and popular culture movement.
In 2006, Irwin left Open Court to become the General Editor of The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series through Wiley-Blackwell (publisher). Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
(now Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters Corporation is a provider of information for the world's businesses and professionals and is created by the Thomson Corporation's purchase of Reuters Group on 17 April 2008. Thomson Reuters is headquartered at 3 Times Square, New York City, USA...
) reported that Irwin’s books have sold more than one million copies. South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today
South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today
South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today is the first non-fiction book in Blackwell Publishing Company’s Philosophy & Pop Culture series and is edited by philosopher and ontologist, Robert Arp, at the time assistant professor of philosophy at Southwest Minnesota State University...
was the first in that series, published in 2006. Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery followed shortly thereafter; Scott Ian from Anthrax (band)
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
called it “a kick-ass read.” Irwin is quoted in USA Today as claiming that "the books are about smart popular culture for smart fans.”
Irwin first theorized the philosophy and pop culture genre in his article “Philosophy as/and/of Popular Culture” in Irwin and Gracia eds. Philosophy and the Interpretation of Popular Culture (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), pp. 41-63. In 2010 he explained the motivation for the series and defended it against critics in an article in The Philosophers’ Magazine titled “Fancy Taking a Pop?” http://www.philosophypress.co.uk/?p=1131
When Irwin was with Open Court, he edited The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real, which Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories...
referred to as an "interesting collection of thoughts on the movie and its place in the world" in an interview with Irwin. Irwin also discussed a follow-up book, More Matrix and Philosophy: Revolutions and Reloaded Decoded, in an interview with Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
.
Irwin has appeared as a guest on hundreds of radio and television shows. He has been interviewed by Time, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, USA Today, the BBC, CNN, NPR, and MSNBC, among others. In a 2010 interview with Time, Irwin said “Philosophy has had a bad rap for centuries. People mistakenly think it has nothing to do with their everyday lives, including enjoying media.” http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2009261,00.html .
A picture and description of one of Irwin’s tattoos appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education blog: http://chronicle.com/blogPost/And-Still-More-Scholarly-Ink/20545/ .
Editorial Activities
Series Editor, The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series (Wiley-Blackwell)Books in the Series:
Vol. 1 Robert Arp
Robert Arp
Robert Arp is a philosopher and ontologist, and is known for his work in ontology , philosophy of biology, evolutionary psychology, and philosophy and popular culture...
ed., South Park and Philosophy (2006);
Vol. 2 William Irwin ed., Metallica and Philosophy (2007) ;
Vol. 3 Jeremy Wisnewski ed., Family Guy and Philosophy (2007);
Vol. 4 Jason Holt ed., The Daily Show and Philosophy (2007);
Vol. 5 Sharon Kaye ed., Lost and Philosophy (2007);
Vol. 6 Davis, Weed, and Weed eds., 24 and Philosophy ( 2007);
Vol. 7 Jeremy Wisnewski ed., The Office and Philosophy (2007);
Vol. 8 Jason T. Eberl ed., Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy (2008);
Vol. 9 Mark White and Robert Arp eds. Batman and Philosophy (2008);
Vol. 10 Henry Jacoby ed., House M.D. and Philosophy (2008);
Vol. 11 Mark White ed., Watchmen and Philosophy (2009);
Vol. 12 Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski eds., X-Men and Philosophy (2009);
Vol. 13 Richard Brown and Kevin s. Decker eds., Terminator and Philosophy (2009);
Vol. 14 David Kyle Johnson ed., Heroes and Philosophy (2009);
Vol. 14 Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski eds., Twilight and Philosophy (2009);
Vol. 16 Jason P. Blahuta and Michel S. Beaulieu eds., Final Fantasy and Philosophy (2009);
Vol. 17 Richard Davis ed., Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol. 18 Mark White ed., Iron Man and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol. 19 Kristopher Phiilips and J. Jeremy Wisnewski eds., Arrested Development and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol. 20 Gregory Bassham ed., Harry Potter and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol. 21 George A. Dunn and Rebecca Housel eds., True Blood and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Col. 22 J.J. Sanford ed., Spider-Man and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol. 23 J. Jeremy Wisnewski ed., 30 Rock and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol. 24 Gegory Bassham and Eric Bronson eds. The Hobbit and Philosophy (forthcoming 2010);
Vol 25 Jane Dryden and Mark White eds., Green Lantern and Philosophy (forthcoming 2011).
Series Editor, Popular Culture and Philosophy (Open Court Publishing).
Books in the series:
Vol. 1 William Irwin ed. Seinfeld and Philosophy (1999);
Vol. 2 Irwin, Conard, and Skoble eds. The Simpsons and Philosophy (2001);
Vol. 3 William Irwin ed. The Matrix and Philosophy (2002);
Vol. 4 James South ed., Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy (2003);
Vol. 5 Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson eds., The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy (2003);
Vol. 6 Eric Bronson ed., Baseball and Philosophy (Winter 2004);
Vol. 7 Richard Greene and Peter Vernezze eds., The Sopranos and Philosophy (Spring 2004);
Vol. 8 Mark Conard and Aeon Skoble eds., Woody Allen and Philosophy (Fall 2004);
Vol. 9 David Baggett and Shawn Klein eds., Harry Potter and Philosophy (Fall 2004);
Vol. 10 Jorge J.E. Gracia ed., Mel Gibson’s Passion and Philosophy (Fall 2004).
Vol. 11 William Irwin ed., More Matrix and Philosophy (Winter 2005);
Vol. 12 Tom Morris and Matt Morris eds., Superheroes and Philosophy (Spring 2005);
Vol. 13 Jason Eberl and Kevin Decker eds., Star Wars and Philosophy (Spring 2005);
Vol. 14 Lisa Heldke, Kerri Mommer, and Cindy Pineo eds., The Atkins Diet and Philosophy (Fall 2005);
Vol. 15 Gregory Bassham and Jerry Walls eds., The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy (Fall 2005);
Vol. 16 Derrick Darby and Tommy Shelby eds., Hip-Hop and Philosophy (Fall 2005);
Vol. 17 Peter Venrnezze and Carl Porter eds., Bob Dylan and Philosophy (Winter 2006);
Vol. 18 Gary Hardcastle and George Reisch eds., Monty Python and Philosophy (Spring 2006);
Vol. 19 Carolyn Madia-Gray, Kerri Mommer, and Cynthia Pineo eds., Harley Davidson and Philosophy (Spring 2006);
Vol. 20 Eric Bronson ed., Poker and Philosophy (Spring 2006);
Vol. 21 Mark Wrathall ed., U2 and Philosophy (Spring 2006);
Vol. 22 Greene et al. ed., The Undead and Philosophy (Fall 2006);
Vol. 23 Held and South eds., James Bond and Philosophy (Fall 2006);
Vol. 24 Baur and Baur eds., The Beatles and Philosophy (Fall 2006);
Vol. 25 Drumin and Baggett eds., Alfred Hitchcock and Philosophy (Winter 2007).
Books Authored
- Intentionalist Interpretation: A Philosophical Explanation and Defense (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, December 1999). Nominated for the American Philosophical Association Young Scholar's Book Prize.
- Critical Thinking: A Student's Introduction (with G. Bassham, H. Nardone, and J. Wallace), ( New York : McGraw-Hill, 2001; 2nd Edition 2004; 3rd Edition 2007).
Books Edited
- The Death and Resurrection of the Author? (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002).
- Philosophy and the Interpretation of Pop Culture (co-edited with Jorge J.E. Gracia) (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007).
- Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007). Translated into German, Hungarian, Italian, and Portuguese.
- More Matrix and Philosophy: Revolutions and Reloaded Decoded (Chicago: Open Court, 2005).
- The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (Chicago: Open Court, 2002). New York Times bestseller. Translated into Japanese, Portuguese, Hungarian, Italian, Russian, Hebrew, and Turkish.
- The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’oh! of Homer (with M. Conard and A. Skoble) (Chicago: Open Court, 2001). *#2 on Amazon.com’s list of Best Philosophy Books of 2001. New York Times backlist bestseller. Translated into Italian, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, German, Russian, Herbrew, and Portuguese.
- Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (Chicago: Open Court, 2000). Translated into Turkish, Hebrew, Serbian, Croatian, and Portuguese.
External links
- The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series website http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-324354.html
- The Popular Culture and Philosophy Series website http://www.opencourtbooks.com/categories/pcp.htm
- William T. Irwin's website http://staff.kings.edu/wtirwin/