Peanuts and Philosophy: You’re a Wise Man, Charlie Brown!

In Peanuts and Philosophy, twenty philosophers, from a diverse range of perspectives, look at different aspects of the Peanuts canon.

How can the thoughts of children, who have yet to become grown-up, help us to become more grown up ourselves? Do we get good results from believing in something like the Great Pumpkin, even though we're disappointed every time? What can Linus's reactions to the leukemia of his friend Janice tell us about the stages of grief? Why don't we settle what's right and what's wrong by the simple method of asking Lucy? Is true happiness attainable without a warm puppy? Do some people's kites have a natural affinity for trees? Is Sally an anarchist, a nihilist, or just a contrarian? Does Linus's reliance on his blanket help him or hurt him? Is Charlie Brown's philosophy of life pathetic or inspirational?

Other topics include: how the way children think carries general lessons about transcending our limitations; the Utopian quest as illustrated by Charlie's devotion to the Little Red-Haired Girl; Snoopy's Red Baron and history as selective memory; the Head Beagle as Big Brother. And, as we would expect, Lucy's repeated cruel removal of Charlie's football has several philosophical applications.

Richard Greene is a Professor of Philosophy at Weber State University in Utah. He is co-editor of many volumes in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series, including The Princess Bride and Philosophy: Inconceivable! and Dexter and Philosophy: Mind over Spatter.

Rachel Robison-Greene is the co-editor of Girls and Philosophy: This Book Isn’t a Metaphor for Anything and Orange Is the New Black and Philosophy: Last Exit from Litchfield. She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

They both live in Ogden, UT.