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House and Philosophy: Everybody Lies (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series) | 
| Author: Henry Jacoby
Creator: William Irwin
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $17.95
Buy New: $10.37
You Save: $7.58 (42%)
New (30) Used (14) from $9.06
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 21274
Media: Paperback
Pages: 272
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 0.9
ISBN: 0470316608
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.4572
EAN: 9780470316603
ASIN: 0470316608
Publication Date: December 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 Outstanding! May 21, 2009
B. G. KEISTER (Ca.)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is an outstanding book written by academic philosophers, yet it is perfect for the layman who wants to think critically about House. I highly recommend.
A must-read for all House fans with an interest in philosophy and ethics April 24, 2009
Gregory J. Casteel (Athens, AL United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I'm a big fan of the various series of books on philosophy and popular culture. (There are three such series that I'm aware of: "Popular Culture and Philosophy" from Open Court Publishing, the "Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series" from Wiley, and "The Philosophy of Popular Culture" from The University of Kentucky.) All of these series use popular culture -- TV shows, movies, music, popular books, sports, fads, etc. -- to illustrate important issues in philosophy and ethics. I have read several of the books in these series, and have been very impressed with all of them. I especially enjoyed reading "House and Philosophy: Everybody Lies" (which is part of the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series). As a lifelong student of philosophy, and a huge fan of the TV series "House, M.D.", I had to get this book.
"House, M.D." is a show about Dr. Gregory House, a brilliant but misanthropic diagnostician with a razor sharp wit and a contemptuous disregard for the feelings of others. House has little use for hospital rules or medical ethics. He openly rebels against any form of authority that would attempt to interfere with his ability to do what he thinks is best. He abuses his staff, insults his patients, manipulates his friends, alienates everyone who cares about him, ridicules anyone who disagrees with him, and takes pleasure in making others as miserable as he is. He is an unrepentant drug addict, a heavy drinker, and a frequent client of prostitutes. He is a militant atheist with nothing but contempt for religion and conventional morality. He will not hesitate to break the law or violate other people's rights in order to get what he wants. He can be brutally honest or a boldfaced liar, depending on his mood and his motives. House is basically a sociopath. He also saves lives. He does it by solving medical mysteries that completely baffle other doctors. Although he doesn't really care about his patients as human beings, he is an obsessive puzzle solver; and he will not rest until he has figured out what is wrong and how to treat it. You wouldn't want House as your family doctor. But, if you were dying of a mysterious illness, you would definitely want House on the case.
As you might imagine, this show raises a number of fascinating ethical and philosophical issues. Many of these issues are explored in this wonderful book: "House and Philosophy: Everybody Lies". One thing I really like about the essays in this book is that they are very well written and accessible, even to someone with no background in philosophy or medical ethics. Some of the other philosophy and popular culture books I have read have included essays that dealt with fairly esoteric philosophical issues, and would be more suitable for readers who have a fairly strong background in philosophy. But this book avoids that. I think that anyone who is a fan of "House, M.D." will find this book engaging, entertaining, enlightening, and easy to follow, even if they've never taken a single class in philosophy or ethics.
One caveat though: While you don't have to have a background in philosophy in order to understand and enjoy this book, you do need to have at least a basic familiarity with the TV show "House, M.D." -- its premise, its characters, the overall story arc, etc. If you're new to the show, then you may want to wait until you've watched at least the first three seasons before you try to tackle this book. (Note that the book deals mainly with themes from the first three seasons of the show; though there are a few references to events from the early episodes of the fourth season.) I would highly recommend this book for all "House, M.D." fans -- especially those with an interest in philosophy and ethics.
 House / Holmes April 20, 2009
G. Kalas (Spring, Texas United States)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
I haven't read this book yet, but couldn't help but chime in regarding the observation made by others about the hugely obvious similarities between the character of Dr. Gregory House, M.D., and Sherlock Holmes. Anyone who has ever watched the incomparable Jeremy Brett's performance as Sherlock Holmes in the Granada Television series from the 1980's and 1990's will instantly see the parallels between these two characters.
Apparently, this is no accident, as those who pay close attention when watching the House series will notice that Dr. House's home address is 223b Baker Street! It floors me that the creators of the series make little to no allusion to the fact that they have borrowed so heavily from the Sherlock Holmes character in the bonus features you see on the House M.D. DVD sets.
Some interesting parallels:
Both House and Holmes share the following traits:
1) Both are confirmed bachelors.
2) Both live at 221b Baker Street.
3) Each has a male sidekick who is a physician. (Dr. Wilson / Dr. Watson).
4) Both studiously avoid taking on mundane, ordinary cases, because they are "BORING" - as each is prone to exclaim.
5) Both charactors love to solve difficult puzzles.
6) Both exhibit outrageous behavior and anti-social tendencies.
7) Each is an investigator without peer in their respective fields.
8) Both have had drug addictions.
9) Both are willing to burgle, break the law, bend rules, etc. to achieve their ends.
10) Both have little tolerance/patience for people of mediocre intellect.
11) Both have an encyclopedic knowledge of obscure subject matter.
12) Both are keen observers of small details who use deductive reasoning to reach non-obvious conclusions.
13) Both characters are reknowned in their professions.
While the character of Dr. Gregory House may indeed have been founded from multiple inspirations, it is clear that the over-riding theft of intellectual property came from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle!
 Me and Philosophy: Many Vendors Steal April 13, 2009
Invisible Man (Florida, USA)
0 out of 27 found this review helpful
I have never received this product and neither Amzaon not A1 Books (the company that actually sold the book) has made any attempt to either get me the product that I paid for or refund my credit card. I brought this book on Amazon's site because I trusted that it would be delivered. If I don't receive either my book or a refund, I will never buy from Amazon or it's affiliates again. It's not the dollar value. It's the fact that taking money given in good faith and not deliving what is promised is morally and ethically wrong and I can't do business with a company that think this kind of practice is OKHouse and Philosophy: Everybody Lies (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)
A MUST FOR ALL HOUSE FANS March 25, 2009
KickingSixtyChick (New Mexico, USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
House and Philosophy: Everybody Lies (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)
If you are a TRUE HOUSE fan, this book is truly a MUST HAVE!! It helps you to understand "Gregory House" (and all the supporting cast of characters) and gives you insight into how the writers (and actors) created the TV Series (and cast), how they connect with each other within the Series, and the real life (or imaginary) persons -- i.e. Aristotle & Plato to Sherlock Holmes -- their personalities are taken from.
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