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An occasional feature, "Law Library Staff Recommend..." highlights books that Law Library staff members have read for enjoyment and now recommend that others consider for inclusion on their own reading lists. If you have any comments or questions about any of the titles presented in this feature, feel free to email lawlib@umn.edu or stop by the library. Today we highlight Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein's Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy through Jokes. (Penguin, 2008).
This little book is a fun, quick read. The authors explain basic philosophical concepts, such as epistemology, and then illustrate them with jokes. Unfortunately, the explanations lack enough depth to most readers; they work better as a reminders to those who have already learned the concepts elsewhere.
Although some of the links between the jokes and the concepts are tenuous, most of the jokes themselves are excellent. For instance:
A Buddhist walks up to a hot-dog stand and says, "Make me one with everything."
He then pays the vendor and asks for change.
The vendor responds, "Change comes from within."
You can find more information about this book at the website: http://www.platoandaplatypus.com/ or a YouTube video of a book talk at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMsQ04IXKok
