This hilarious cast of star philosophers will make you laugh while you think as they explore the moral conundrums, ridiculous paradoxes, and wild implications of Saturday Night LiveComedian-philosophers from Socrates to Sartre have always prodded and provoked us, critiquing our most sacred institutions and urging us to examine ourselves in the process. In Saturday Night Live and Philosophy, a star-studded cast of philosophers takes a close look at the "deep thoughts" beneath the surface of NBC's award-winning late-night variety show and its hosts' zany antics. In this book, philosophy and comedy join forces, just like the Ambiguously Gay Duo, to explore the meaning of life itself through the riffs and beats of the subversive parody that gives the show its razor-sharp wit and undeniable cultural and political significance. Our guest hosts raise some eyebrows with questions like:* Is Weekend Update Fake News?* Does SNL upset dominant paradigms or trap us in political bubbles?* When it comes to SNL, how can we tell the difference between satire, smart-assery, and seriousness?* Is the Ladies Man too stupid for moral responsibility?* What is the benefit of jokes that cause outrage?* The Church Lady has a bad case of moral superiority. How about you?* What can Wayne and Garth teach us about living a happy life?

Cast Members ixCold Open: The Introduction 1Part I The Opening Monologue 31 Chase's Ford vs. Belushi's Samurai: Why is it OK to Punch Up But Not Down? 5Ruth Tallman2 Mr. Mike: The Dark, Existentialist Vision of Michael O'Donoghue 15Erich Christiansen3 How Do They Get Away with It?: Pushing Boundaries with Offensive Material on Saturday Night Live 25Michael McGowan4 SNL, Satire, and Socrates: Smart-Assery or Seriousness? 39Joshua J. ReynoldsPart II Some Political Sketches 515 Saturday Night Live and the Political Bubble 53William Irwin6 Saturday Night Live and the Production of Political Truth: Foucault Explains the Danger of Late Night Comedy 63Kimberly S. Engels7 Word Associations, Black Jeopardy, and Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood: SNL Tackles Race 75J. Jeremy Wisnewski8 John Belushi, Chris Farley, and Stuart Smalley: Drugs and Recovery on Saturday Night Live 87William Irwin and J.R. LombardoPart III Some Sketches Featuring Your Favorite Recurring Characters 999 Dana Carvey vs. Darrell Hammond: What Does it Mean to be "Spot On," and Does it Matter? 101Tadd Ruetenik10 SNL's Blasphemy and Rippin' up the Pope: "Well Isn't That Special?" 109David Kyle Johnson11 "Wayne's World" and the Philosophy of Play 131Jason Holt12 Bulls, Bears, and Beers: Da Philosophy of Super Fandom 141Robin BarrettPart IV And Now for Our Musical Guest 14913 Liveness and Lip-Synching: Andy Kaufman and Eminem 151Theodore GracykPart V Weekend Update 16714 I Hate Applause: Norm Macdonald and Laughter 169Jeremy Fried15 Saturday Night Live's Citizen Journalists and the Nature of Democracy 177Kati Sudnick and Erik Garrett16 Fake News as Media Theory: SNL on TV Journalism 187Gerald J. Erion17 "Look, Children, It's a Falling Star": David Spade and SNL Family Disloyalty 199Jason Southworth and Ruth TallmanPart VI The Absurd Stuff That Happens Near the End 20918 The Simulated Reality of Saturday Night Live 211Edwardo Pérez19 Deep Thoughts about Deep Thoughts: The Existentialism of Jack Handey 223John Scott Gray20 The Ladies Man and "President Bush": Can Someone Be Too Stupid for Moral Responsibility? 231Jason SouthworthIndex 239