Friday, May 19, 2006

Roll over Aristotle and tell that Plato the news!


There’s a new philosopher for the modern age, a man steeped in wisdom, donuts and Duff Beer. Homer Simpson, the jovial doofus of Springfield, has been described as the rightful heir to the great philosophers of our times, the everyday man with the answers to life’s big questions.

In a piece for the BBC website, philosopher Julian Baggini writes a paean to the everyday wisdom of the family man who struggles through life one step away from complete humiliation, another close to pure genius.

Homer and his brood; the first family of Philosophy, provide us with much to think about in their weekly adventures. From Religion to Science and far beyond, the observations of Homer have become a part of our cultural make up, a grand examination of all our foibles and how we react to life’s everyday challenges.

His Tao is a simple but effective proclamation, D’oh, it sums up all that can go wrong and leaves a glimmer of hope for a better plan to come.

Homer is life’s lessons provided in less than half an hour with a chuckle or two along the way. This Sunday when you sit down to the season ending episode, you won’t so much as be wasting time in front of the tube, no you’ll be taking in a session with one of the great philosophers for the ages.

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