
Better Call Saul and Philosophy
Open Universe (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 28. July 2022
Book
Paperback/Softback
280 pages
978-1-63770-026-6 (ISBN)
Description
Better Call Saul
and Philosophy: I Think Therefore I Scam is a collection of twenty-three essays
exploring the philosophical themes in the hit television show Better Call
Saul, a prequel to the TV show Breaking Bad. The sixth and final season of Better Call
Saul aired from April to August 2022.
The central character is Jimmy
McGill, whom we know from Breaking Bad as Saul Goodman. In Better Call Saul he first takes the
name of Saul Goodman from the phrase "S'all Good, Man!" Jimmy/Saul is a natural
con artist who not only scams from self-interest but also because he enjoys it.
He has a strange relationship with his brother, the distinguished lawyer
Charles McGill, who resents Jimmy's delinquency and advantage in parental
affection. Jimmy/Saul becomes a lawyer for a drug cartel, and most of the people
he meets are criminals and other kinds of villains.
Like Breaking Bad, Better
Call Saul raises a wide range of philosophical issues including the nature
of good and evil, personal identity, free will and determinism, the law as it
relates to morality, the ethical implications of the war on drugs, death and
dying, and many more. Better Call Saul and Philosophy offers thoughtful
fans of the show deeper and more provocative insights into the story and the
characters.
Topics covered include: the morality
of keeping promises to wrongdoers, the nature of psychosomatic illness,
difficult moral choices facing lawyers, just how good or bad are some of the
compromised characters in the show, the unintended consequences of the War on
Drugs, the similarities between drug cartels and governments, whether bad
people are just unlucky, the perils of self-deception, and whether we ever
really have much of a choice.
Better Call Saul and Philosophy
is Volume 8 in the path-breaking series, Pop Culture and Philosophy.
and Philosophy: I Think Therefore I Scam is a collection of twenty-three essays
exploring the philosophical themes in the hit television show Better Call
Saul, a prequel to the TV show Breaking Bad. The sixth and final season of Better Call
Saul aired from April to August 2022.
The central character is Jimmy
McGill, whom we know from Breaking Bad as Saul Goodman. In Better Call Saul he first takes the
name of Saul Goodman from the phrase "S'all Good, Man!" Jimmy/Saul is a natural
con artist who not only scams from self-interest but also because he enjoys it.
He has a strange relationship with his brother, the distinguished lawyer
Charles McGill, who resents Jimmy's delinquency and advantage in parental
affection. Jimmy/Saul becomes a lawyer for a drug cartel, and most of the people
he meets are criminals and other kinds of villains.
Like Breaking Bad, Better
Call Saul raises a wide range of philosophical issues including the nature
of good and evil, personal identity, free will and determinism, the law as it
relates to morality, the ethical implications of the war on drugs, death and
dying, and many more. Better Call Saul and Philosophy offers thoughtful
fans of the show deeper and more provocative insights into the story and the
characters.
Topics covered include: the morality
of keeping promises to wrongdoers, the nature of psychosomatic illness,
difficult moral choices facing lawyers, just how good or bad are some of the
compromised characters in the show, the unintended consequences of the War on
Drugs, the similarities between drug cartels and governments, whether bad
people are just unlucky, the perils of self-deception, and whether we ever
really have much of a choice.
Better Call Saul and Philosophy
is Volume 8 in the path-breaking series, Pop Culture and Philosophy.
Reviews / Votes
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/3-books-read-better-call-saul-finale.html "This is a great readand I swear I'm not just saying that because I'm on the show! Like the other books
in this series, Better Call Saul and
Philosophy carries on the tradition of examining the complexity of character
or, in this case, characters. What motivates them? What inspires them?
But, most importantly, what inspires and motivates us to like them? This is a terrific
read for those who have any interest in seemingly decent people doing terribly
unseemly things. You know, like a vet who loves animals but is okay with people
being murdered."
-Joe DeRosa, a.k.a. Dr. Caldera, the
animal-loving vet "The landscape of Better Call Saul, where each character is
cultivated with great subtlety and humanity, is fertile ground for focused
examination. This collection is an insightful-and often surprising-look at the
show's big players, how they preen and strive, grow and fail."
-Peter Diseth, a.k.a. DDA Bill Oakley "Do the characters in Better Call Saul have a moral compass? Do
they give a damn about ethics-and if so, in what capacity? A number of
knowledgeable contributors discuss these and many more topics in twenty-three
(occasionally humorous) chapters. So, before calling Saul, you Better Read this
Book!"
-Dr. Marius Stan, a.k.a. Bogdan, the car
wash owner in Breaking Bad "Utilitarian decisions, musings about
mortality, questions as to whether one is the same person over time, dealing
with the consequences of self-deception-there's so much philosophical content
in Better Call Saul,
all of which profoundly enriches the story. This entertaining and
thought-provoking volume will more than help the reader appreciate that
enrichment."
-Robert Arp PhD, co-editor of Breaking
Bad and Philosophy: Badder Living through Chemistry (2012) Better Call Saul and Philosophy: I Think Therefore I Scam belongs
in any media studies collection strong in analyzing television and films. Its
subject goes beyond plot and character study, however, to delve into the moral
and ethical dilemmas presented in Better Call Saul, requiring that readers have
a basic familiarity with the subject in order to apply the philosophical
reflections here. Joshua Heter and Brett Coppenger gather essays that are
candid, contemporary, and often push the common scholarly tone boundaries of
philosophical inspection. One such example is Joshua Luczak's "Saul's
Bullshit's Not All Good, Man." Its inspection of truth, lies, and what
occurs between them provides not just food for thought, but ideally discussion
material highly recommended for any viewer of Better Call Saul, or for modern
young philosophers who would more closely examine the connections and
approaches of modern philosophy to movies and media.
-The Bookwatch: September 2022: Midwest Book Review
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Carus Books
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 230 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
368 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-63770-026-6 (9781637700266)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Joshua Heter | Brett Coppenger
Better Call Saul and Philosophy
E-Book
06/2022
Open Universe
€10.49
Available for download
Persons
Joshua Heter is an Assistant
Professor of Philosophy at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri. He co-edited
Westworld and Philosophy: Mind Equals Blown (2019) and The Man in the
High Castle and Philosophy: Subversive Reports from Another Reality (2017).
Professor of Philosophy at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri. He co-edited
Westworld and Philosophy: Mind Equals Blown (2019) and The Man in the
High Castle and Philosophy: Subversive Reports from Another Reality (2017).
Content
Contents
It's Showtime, Folks! 000
I Slippin' Jimmy with a law degree is like a chimp with a machine gun 000
1. Scamming for Fun
Patrick Clipsham 000
2. Don't Go to Lawyers for Moral Guidance
Shane J. Ralston 000
3. Can It Be Right to Defend the Guilty?
Daniel Cook 000
4. Better Call the DEA?
Amy E. White 000
II You can be on one side of the law or the other 000
5. The Sovereign State of Salamanca
Walter Barta and Thomas Paul Barnes, Esq. 000
6. The Morality of Mike's Manifesto
Jakob R. Gibson and Tobias T. Gibson 000
7. Saul Goodman Stands before the Law
E.F. Haven 000
III Put on your big boy pants and face reality 000
8. Self-Hatred as Identity
Conall Cash 000
9. The Prequel versus Free Will
Landon Frim 000
10. Slippin' Identity
Kristina Sekrst 000
11. The Self-Deception Road
Darci Doll 000
IV Confidence is good-facts on your side, better 000
12. A Cave of His Own Making
Timothy J. Golden 000
13. Chuckrates v. The Saulphists
Walter Barta and Thomas Paul Barnes, Esq. 000
14. Salvaging Sunk Costs
Joshua Heter 000
15. Saul's Bullshit's Not All Good, Man
Joshua Luczak 000
16. Better Call Saul Because Chuck's Condition Is Real
Amber E. George 000
V See, that's your problem-thinking the ends justify the means 000
17. Is Morality for Suckers?
Abe Witonsky 000
18. Dissenting Opinions
Callie K. Phillips 000
19. Can We Blame Jimmy for Being Jimmy?
Daniel Carr 000
20. Why Is Breaking Skateboarder's Legs Wrong?
J. Spencer Atkins 000
VI Never make the same mistake twice 000
21. Finding the Good in Nacho
James Rocha 000
22. Breaking Bad Promises
F.E. Guerra-Pujol 000
23. Why Does Jimmy Get to Determine Chuck's Healthcare?
James Clark Ross 000
Bibliography 000
The Hostile Witnesses 000
Index 000
It's Showtime, Folks! 000
I Slippin' Jimmy with a law degree is like a chimp with a machine gun 000
1. Scamming for Fun
Patrick Clipsham 000
2. Don't Go to Lawyers for Moral Guidance
Shane J. Ralston 000
3. Can It Be Right to Defend the Guilty?
Daniel Cook 000
4. Better Call the DEA?
Amy E. White 000
II You can be on one side of the law or the other 000
5. The Sovereign State of Salamanca
Walter Barta and Thomas Paul Barnes, Esq. 000
6. The Morality of Mike's Manifesto
Jakob R. Gibson and Tobias T. Gibson 000
7. Saul Goodman Stands before the Law
E.F. Haven 000
III Put on your big boy pants and face reality 000
8. Self-Hatred as Identity
Conall Cash 000
9. The Prequel versus Free Will
Landon Frim 000
10. Slippin' Identity
Kristina Sekrst 000
11. The Self-Deception Road
Darci Doll 000
IV Confidence is good-facts on your side, better 000
12. A Cave of His Own Making
Timothy J. Golden 000
13. Chuckrates v. The Saulphists
Walter Barta and Thomas Paul Barnes, Esq. 000
14. Salvaging Sunk Costs
Joshua Heter 000
15. Saul's Bullshit's Not All Good, Man
Joshua Luczak 000
16. Better Call Saul Because Chuck's Condition Is Real
Amber E. George 000
V See, that's your problem-thinking the ends justify the means 000
17. Is Morality for Suckers?
Abe Witonsky 000
18. Dissenting Opinions
Callie K. Phillips 000
19. Can We Blame Jimmy for Being Jimmy?
Daniel Carr 000
20. Why Is Breaking Skateboarder's Legs Wrong?
J. Spencer Atkins 000
VI Never make the same mistake twice 000
21. Finding the Good in Nacho
James Rocha 000
22. Breaking Bad Promises
F.E. Guerra-Pujol 000
23. Why Does Jimmy Get to Determine Chuck's Healthcare?
James Clark Ross 000
Bibliography 000
The Hostile Witnesses 000
Index 000