Welcome to the first episode of a new podcast series exploring pop culture through the lens of philosophy, hosted by Phil and Sophie (AI hosts created via NotebookLM).
In each episode, we dive into philosophical ideas found in TV shows, films, and other media.
This debut episode tackles a question close to my heart: Is it okay to laugh at South Park? I grew up loving the show, and the 27th season premiere brought back that intense, provocative edge that inspired me to finally make this episode.
I was reminded of two fantastic essays I read years ago in the book South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today (edited by Robert Arp, Blackwell Publishing, 2007), namely:
- Chapter 2: “Is It Okay to Laugh at South Park?” by Catherine Yu
- Chapter 3: “Blasphemous Humor in South Park” by Kevin J. Murtagh (this was later republished as well in 2013's The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy)
This podcast is just a fun side project by a philosophy student who has not found the time yet to make non-AI co-created content. My goal is to make thoughtful articles like these a bit more accessible.
If you enjoyed the episode, I highly recommend supporting the original authors by purchasing the books (my Amazon Affiliate Link below). Thanks for watching—hope you found this interesting, and I’ll see you next time!
(00:00) Introduction
(01:31) Catherine Yu's Article Introduction
(02:22) The Aesthetical and Ethical Question
(03:35) Aesthetic Moralism
(05:03) The Humor of Wolf's and Aristotles' Moral Saints
(07:34) de Sousa's Endorsement Humor
(09:13) Yu's Imaginative Adoption
(11:12) Murtagh's Article Introduction
(13:04) Murtagh's Utilitarian Calculus
(17:16) Outro
Links:
- https://amzn.to/3UIf8DU
- https://amzn.to/45eP8EX