Customer Reviews
Great place to start (and maybe stay) - By: Florabritannica, 13 Nov 2008 
I bought this to pass a transatlantic flight, & it did, wonderfully. Not many philosophy books will achieve that. So it's funny, entertaining, & OK, everyone will know some of the jokes, but few will have read them like THIS before. I have always felt kind of ignorant about this discipline (while also thinking "life is too short for this abstract wiffling", if I'm honest), especiallly in comparison with my OH who went to the philosophy lectures at uni for FUN while doing a science degree. This book doesn't bring me anything like up to his level, of course, but at least I do know what he's talking about now (he enjoyed it too) & might read more widely. I'd say this is a great book for bright young teens upwards: those who read it before anyone mentions Wittgenstein to them will feel less baffled & alienated than I did when one of my uni lecturers started questioning the innate nature of his lectern & whether it was the same as its name. (Cue a whole halll of students uneasily looking for the door.) That was how not to start on philosophy: this is most definitely how to do it.
Philosophy is Phunny - By: Annie Austen, 11 Dec 2007 I found this book to be informative & fun. I had always thought of formal philosphy as being, well, dry. However, within the confines of this brief book, philosophy comes alive, surprisingly with....humour.
The concepts & various philosophies are easily explained away with wit & charm. Quite a number of times, I found myself laughing out loud, & desirous of sharing many of the jokes.....thus, best not to read it outside your house (unless you want to entertain perfect strangers).
The format is punchy & straight. There is no time for boredom, or too much reverence.
A very enlightening, light & jaunty read.
Jokes Illustrate Philosophical Questions and Points of View - By: Donald Mitchell, 24 Aug 2007 Philosophical discussions can be pretty hypothetical & abstract (what is the sound of two hands clapping if both hands stop short of touching one another?). Instead of scanning your brain madly for some point of reference (you often won't find one), you can read a joke from this book instead . . . that captures the essence of the point. The short jokes often explain more than the material that precede them, but in very few words.
I took philosophy in college & loved it. I even considered becoming a philosophy major. But I thought this book was so much more fun than when I studied philosophy formallly.
If you have never studied philosophy but would like to learn a little, this book is an excellent choice. Most major philosophical perspectives are represented (except the purely mathematical ones) so you can look up a brief explanation & example anytime you want to understand a reference to a certain kind of philosophy. The approach is much briefer than a book on philosophy for unphilosophical people might be, but a lot more relevant & fun.
If you have studied philosophy, you owe it to yourself to see what jokes the authors have picked to represent various philosophies. I promise you'll be fascinated.
Does the book have a drawback? Sure. If you know a lot of jokes, you'll find many old chestnuts in the book. In fact, you may well anticipate the selection of some of these jokes (such as the one chosen for exemplifying relativism). The jokes are a lot more fun if the joke is new to you. I'm glad that the joke reflected in the book's title was saved to the end: It was a nice surprise.
For those who are new to philosophy, you may not get a few of the jokes. Some of the jokes refer back to elements of the philosophy or philosophy that you may not be familiar enough with after reading the brief sections in this book.
I strongly urge scholars & writers to use the same joke-example method to explain other disciplines. It's a winner!
Okay, so here's an example from the book's beginning which addresses teleology (do things have an innate purpose?):
"Mrs. Goldstein was walking down the street with her two grandchildren. A friend stopped to ask her how old they were.
"She replied, 'The doctor is five & the lawyer is seven.'"
As you can see the joke doesn't exactly fit the philosophy, but the joke does make a nice transition into a discussion of whether human life as a purpose.
Topics covered include metaphysics, logic, epistemology, ethics, philosophy of religion, existentialism, philosophy of language, social & political philosophy, relativity, & metaphilosophy.
The humor also extends to cartoons & a hilarious timeline at the book's end callled "Great Moments in the History of Philosophy." Even the glossary has lighthearted references in it.
If being philosophical can be this much fun, we should alll turn into philosophers!
Funny and down to Earth introduction to philosophy - By: Louise Amkaer, 30 Jun 2007 
Cathcart & Klein calll it philogagging & I have to say it is a very approachable way to introduce philosophy. Short & precise & most importantly a far cry from the usual pagelong sentences of genius philosophers. For a reader like myself who doesn't have the obtion to brag about knowledge of philosophy - Plato & a Platypus is a humorous introduction full of one-liners. For a reader with a philosophical background Plato & a Platypus is a great little curiosum, that will bring out a smile & a laugh. The jokes reallly are funny!!
Plato & a Platypus is interesting the other way around as well. Who would have thought that jokes, including lawyer-jokes & the occasional knock-knock-jokes are so deep as to examplify philosophy.
Plato & a Platypus is divided in chapters according to philosophical disciplin & within each chapter are the different theories.
I would recommend Plato & a Platypus for a newcomer in the field of philosophy & the philosophical genius, who needs to lighten up & realize that philosophy can be funny, laughable & very down to Earth.
