Mad Men is finally getting a smattering of book spin-offs. Last month, we got Mad Men Unbuttoned: A Romp Through 1960s America
"Nietzsche believed happiness requires that a person forget the past in order to act boldly in the present — a methodology that Draper, who has denied his past by stealing a dead man's identity, seems to embrace," TIME stated. "That allusion, and more, come from Mad Men and Philosophy: Nothing Is as It Seems — a book of essays that examines the show through a philosophical lens. In it, philosophy professors reference classic works of philosophy by the likes of John Locke, Immanuel Kant, and Simone de Beauvoir to explore topics like Draper's identity crisis, the ethical lapses of the advertising business and the burgeoning feminism of the 1960s."
William Irwin, the creator of the series this book falls into, found Mad Men to be fertile ground. "Their alarming lack of self-awareness makes the show a fertile ground for philosophical discussion."
Irwin tries to make his books form sort of a bridge between pop culture and philosophy, in both content and style. "If pop culture can introduce fans to a much more complex and long-standing tradition, such as philosophy, that's a wonderful thing," he shared.
The series has also created volumes for other famous television shows. True Blood and Philosophy: We Wanna Think Bad Things with You
This is a really nice thing to see. Hope it becomes more of a trend. Also hope that if it does, Breaking Bad receives the same treatment. God knows it deserves every last bit of attention it gets.