Sons of Anarchy and Philosophy: Brains Before Bullets

Front Cover
George A. Dunn, Jason T. Eberl
John Wiley & Sons, Sep 3, 2013 - Philosophy - 272 pages

“Brains before bullets” – ancient and modern wisdom for “mechanics and motorcycle enthusiasts”

Essential reading for fans of the show, this book takes readers deeper into the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, the Teller-Morrow family, and the ethics that surround their lives and activities.

  • Provides fascinating moral insights into Sons of Anarchy, its key characters, plot lines and ideas
  • Investigates compelling philosophical issues centering on loyalty, duty, the ethics of war, authority, religion and whether the ends justify the means
  • Teaches complex philosophical ideas in a way that’s accessible to the general interest reader in order to inspire them to further reading of the great philosophers
  • Authors use their deep knowledge of the show to illuminate themes that are not always apparent even to die-hard fans
 

Contents

A Prospects Guide to Nietzsche
16
Is Loyalty a Virtue? James Edwin Mahon
29
Aquinas on Murder
38
The Politics of Mayhem
51
The Machiavellian
65
Anarchy in the MC
73
SAMCRO Goes to War
94
The Faith of Our Sons and the Tragic Quest
117
SAMCRO and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
139
The Passion in His Heart and the Reason
151
When a Charming Woman Speaks
165
Power Control
175
Each Savage Event Was a Catalyst
187
Anarchism and Authenticity or Why SAMCRO
201
Good Old Fashioned Mayhem
214
Philosophers of Mayhem
237

Narrative
128

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About the author (2013)

George A. Dunn is a lecturer at the University of Indianapolis and Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, China, and a writer on pop culture and philosophy. He is an editor of The Hunger Games and Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012) and True Blood and Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010) and has contributed chapters to many other books in the Blackwell Philosophy & Pop Culture series, including books on Terminator, Iron Man, Battlestar Galactica, and Mad Men.

Jason T. Eberl is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He is the editor of Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008) and co-editor (with Kevin S. Decker) of Star Wars and Philosophy (2005) and Star Trek and Philosophy (2008). He has also written essays for similar volumes on Harry Potter, Metallica, Stanley Kubrick, The Hunger Games, Terminator, and Avatar.

William Irwin is Professor of Philosophy at King’s College in Pennsylvania. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as coeditor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy and has overseen recent titles including Superman and Philosophy, Black Sabbath and Philosophy, and Spider-Man and Philosophy.

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