Philosophy: The New Rock 'n Roll?

A good read on how philosophy is fusing with populism. Read this article for a quick take on the phenomenon that is bringing us books like Alain de Botton's philo-self-help-literary-criticism-type books The Consolations of Philosophy (my take: good), How Proust Can Change Your Life (my take: good), and Status Anxiety.

Other more straightforward philosophy-as-junkfood-for-the-mind texts include The Sopranos and Philosophy: I Kill Therefore I Am, The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer, Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy. I may be being a bit unfair, here, as I've read none of them, and some universities have chosen to offer courses using these books as texts.

Penguin has a new series of bite-sized philosophy-type books, but some people are not so happy with the 20 chosen philosophers.

(Props to Political Theory Daily Review for once again finding the most interesting text on the web.)