The Sopranos and Philosophy: I Kill Therefore I Am [Paperback]

Philosophers who are fans of the popular television series "Sporanos" would seem an odd mix, but Sporanos And Philosophy: I Kill Therefore I Am provides an essay collection compiled and edited by Richard Greene and Peter Vernezze andwhich probes not only the show and the personalities of its actors, but the underlying philosophy and attraction of the mafia family. Sporanos and Philosophy, is an intriguing and informative survey of ethical judgment and philosophy.

Finally, a great book for a great series. I am a fan of The Sopranos but was unfamiliar with the Open Court Popular Culture and Philosophy series before picking up this volume, so I can't speak to how this book compares to others in the series. But as a Sopranos fan, I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and that it added to my appreciation and understanding of my favorite show. To give a few examples, the essays on Sun-Tzu and Machiavelli explained clearly to a non-philosopher who these two figures (both of whom Tony mentions) are and why knowing something about them helps you to understand the motivation of some of the characters on the show. An issue which has long interested me has been whether watching the show can actually be morally harmful, and two of the essays in the book specifically addressed this topic (and put my mind at ease). And the entire ethics section provided an nice overview of this daunting subject and explained its relevance to the series, focusing on such issues as whether the series espouses a relativistic viewpoint (it doesn't), and whether Carmela is a feminist (she's on her way).
The seventeen essays are grouped under five headings: history of philosophy, ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, and philosophy of religion. If these topics sound too academic for a show like The Sopranos, don't worry. All but one or two of the essays are written in a style accessible to the general reading public.
The essays provide a good mix of discussion of the first four seasons of the show. The essay on nihilism traces Tony's existential crisis across the first fifty-two episodes. The chapter on how The Sopranos is like a Greek tragedy focuses primarily on season one, whereas the essay on the problem of evil places emphasis on the dominance of that issue in season four. While many of the essays focus on Tony (for obvious reasons), it seems all the major characters are amply covered. Carmela gets an essay devoted entirely to her, and Dr. Melfi is prominently discussed in several essays. Even Charmaine Bucco comes under scrutiny.
The authors love for the show is evident in every essay, and the editors seem to have taken great care to get things right. I checked many of the quotes against my DVD copies of the series and found them dead on accurate. My only complaint is that I would have liked more essays. And though I am glad Open Court decided to put the volume out now, since it has greatly deepened my appreciation for The Sopranos, I hope they put out a revised version once the series ends.

Having greatly enjoyed a previous volume in the Popular Culture and Philosophy Series, The Simpsons and Philosophy, I looked forward to a new volume on my favorite television show. Unfortunately, this book is greatly disappointing.

One wonders whether several of the contributors to this volume have actually watched The Sopranos with regularity. Factual errors about what happened in various episodes abound and the editors needed to exercise a firmer hand in the contents of the thirteen essays. With 52 episodes to choose from about three-quarters of the contributors focused heavily on the same five or six episodes. Furthermore, the focus is on the first and second seasons; few commented at all on season four. The same quotes appear in essay after essay; the same scenes between Tony Soprano and Dr. Melfi are analyzed repeatedly. While some essays are intriguing and draw together themes from across the seasons, the ability of other contributors to generalize in creative ways is severely lacking. And how about more than just Tony? Besides a fascinating essay on Carmela, the essays are about Tony. Why not have a contribution on A. J. and Meadow Soprano?? Plato would have wonderful things to say about the situation that they find themselves in as children of a family engaged in crime.

Timing of the publication of this volume is an interesting issue. Why not wait until the series is over?? The plot of the Fifth Season has disproved some of the conclusions reached in these essays. I think, but I could be wrong, that the editors and publishers wanted to make a quick buck and released the volume now. Needed is a second edition when the series is over.

Audience is an important question in these essays: Who is it?? Some essays such as the one by Steeve and another by volume editor Richard Greene are written in an obtuse, difficult language that would confound the general (I mean the non-Philosophy majoring) reader. Since the books in the Popular Culture and Philosophy Series seek to get more people interested in philosophical issues, these obtuse essays are unneeded. While these essays need redone, most others are well written and understandable.

While I am very critical of this volume, there are, however, a few good points. David Hahn's essay on whether Tony Soprano is Machiavellian is probably the best in the volume (although I don't agree with his conclusions, it does get the gray cells working). Likewise, Ronald M. Greene's essay on Tony's managerial ethics is equally compelling. Lisa Cassidy on whether Carmela Soprano is a feminist is another high point to this volume. Despite these gems, the overall quality of this volume is quite low.