Average Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Total Number of Reviews: 21
Editorial Review: An unauthorized look at the philosophical issues raised by one of today's most popular television shows: House
House is one of the top three television dramas on the air, pulling in more than 19 million viewers for each episode. This latest book in the popular Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series takes a deeper look at the characters and issues raised in this Emmy Award-winning medical drama, offering entertaining answers to the fascinating ethical questions viewers have about Dr. Gregory House and his medical team.
Henry Jacoby (Goldsboro, NC) teaches philosophy at East Carolina University. He has published articles primarily on the philosophy of mind and was a contributor to South Park and Philosophy
(978-1-4051-6160-2).
Interesting essays, could have used a larger scope (Kindle edition) 4 out of 5
This was another solid entry in the Pop Culture and Philosophy series. There were several particularly strong essays, including individual essays discussing Cameron's ethics of care, the inherent selfishness of House and Wilson's friendship, and several essays examining House's disregard of patient consent and autonomy. However, many of the essays seemed to cover content from the same handful of episodes and many also reiterated the same basic philosophical concepts (i.e., utilitarianism and the Socratic method). It seems as though a stronger editor could have better controlled introduction of those topics and excised the repetitive content of multiple essays. Additionally, this was seemingly written before the bulk of season 5 aired so there isn't much content addressing the role of the new fellows. Still, I found this a worthwhile read.
Kindle edition: Like all the Pop Culture and Philosophy books, paragraph spacing is a bit excessive. It can be a bit frustrating, particularly as font size increases. However, the book also features working footnotes and no noticeable OCR or typographical errors.
Wonderful 4 out of 5
This book came in excellent condition. I haven't had the chance to read the whole thing yet, but so far its very interesting and I love it!
Fascinating reading 4 out of 5
I find this series of books "... & philosophy" an interesting concept and would be curious to read another in the series to see if the editor chose to make the collection of essays more cohesive. Some of these contradict each other, which is Ok in one sense as they are all individual pieces and having different opinions give the reader the opportunity to think about what they believe, but it was still a bit jarring for the overall book and I would have liked it if the final chapter tied things together somehow; much like the introduction tries to. Some of the pieces were highly entertaining, some thought provoking and some as dry as desert dust. The least successful piece, for me, was "The Sound of One House Clapping: The Unmannerly Doctor as Zen Rhetorician"; this was way too dry and abstract, too much focus on the meaning of the philosophy and not enough examples to tie it to House.
The most interesting essay was one where the reasoning of House and Sherlock Holmes is compared (made me want to go back and read Holmes!)
Everything you wanted to know about House is in this book 5 out of 5
If you find the television show, House entertaining then this book should provide insights and intrigues for you about the characters of House and his medical team. The writings are brief and have an even flow that can capture your interest - a great read for the evening.
A christmas read 5 out of 5
i know my partner will love this and spend the christmas reading it was in perfect condition and came sooner than expected
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