Philosophy and Breaking Bad

This volume considers the numerous philosophical ideas and arguments found in and inspired by the critically acclaimed series __Breaking Bad__. This show garnered both critical and popular attention for its portrayal of a cancer-stricken, middle-aged, middle-class, high school chemistry teacher’s drift into the dark world of selling methamphetamine to support his family. Its characters, situations, and aesthetic raise serious and familiar philosophical issues, especially related to ethics and morality. The show provokes a bevy of rich questions and discussion points, such as: What are the ethical issues surrounding drugs? What lessons about existentialism and fatalism does the show present? How does the show grapple with the concept of the end ‘justifying’ the means? Is Walt really free not to ‘break bad’? Can he be redeemed? What is the definition and nature of badness (or evil) itself? Contributors address these and other questions as they dissect the legacy of the show and discuss its contributions to philosophical conversations. Pt. I. We tried to poison you : breaking evil / Jen Baker -- Eichmann in Albuquerque / Karen Adkins -- Empathy and evil : drug-dealing murderers are people too / Charlene Elsby and Rob Luzecky -- Pt. II. I am the one who knocks : the shadow of death and the meaning of life. In the shadow of the sickness unto death : Walter White's transformation into the knight of meth / Frank Scalambrino -- Death is easy if you're dead / Christopher Ketcham -- Cosmic justice in Breaking Bad : can sociopaths and antiheroes lead meaningful lives? / Kimberly Blessing -- Law and morality in Breaking Bad : the aesthetics of justice / David Koepsell -- Pt. III. I will put you under the jail : the tragedy of Breaking Bad -- The crumbling patriarchy and triumphant feminist ethic of care in Breaking Bad / Leigh Kolb -- What bad is not : Breaking Bad, apophatic and dramaturgic continua from creator to viewer, and a poetics of the philosophy of religion / Jesse Abbot -- Pt. IV. I did it for me : morality, mastery and meth. Recovering lost moral ground : can Walt make amends / James Edwin Mahon and Joseph Mahan -- (Im) morality in action / Travis Dyk and Adam Barkman -- The transformation of Walter White : a case study in bad faith / Leslie A. Aarons -- Breaking bonds : white lines of love and hate / Sara Waller -- Pt. V. Becoming Jesse James : Breaking Bad's challenge to philosophy -- Hatred : Walter White is doing it all wrong / Kevin Guilfoy -- We are responsible to all for all : an intersubjective analysis of Breaking Bad / Sheridan Hough -- Theater of the absurb : Breaking Bad as edifying philosophy / Kevin S. Decker. Kevin S. Decker, David R. Koepsell, Robert Arp, editors. Includes bibliographical references and index. Front Matter....Pages i-xx Front Matter....Pages 1-1 What’s Stopping Me: Breaking Bad and Virtue Ethics....Pages 3-15 Eichmann in Albuquerque....Pages 17-34 Empathy and Evil: Drug-Dealing Murderers Are People Too....Pages 35-44 Front Matter....Pages 45-45 In the Shadow of the Sickness Unto Death: Walter White’s Transformation into the Knight of Meth....Pages 47-62 Death Is Easy If You’re Dead....Pages 63-75 Cosmic Justice in Breaking Bad: Can Sociopaths and Antiheroes Lead Meaningful Lives?....Pages 77-92 Law and Morality in Breaking Bad: The Aesthetics of Justice....Pages 93-105 Front Matter....Pages 107-107 The Crumbling Patriarchy and Triumphant Feminist Ethic of Care in Breaking Bad ....Pages 109-121 What Bad Is Not: Breaking Bad, Apophatic and Dramaturgic Continua from Creator to Viewer, and a Poetics of the Philosophy of Religion....Pages 123-139 Front Matter....Pages 141-141 Recovering Lost Moral Ground: Can Walt Make Amends?....Pages 143-160 (Im)Morality in Action....Pages 161-173 The Transformation of Walter White: A Case Study in Bad Faith....Pages 175-189 Breaking Bonds: White Lines of Love and Hate....Pages 191-198 Front Matter....Pages 199-199 Hatred: Walter White Is Doing It All Wrong....Pages 201-216 “We Are Responsible to All for All”: An Intersubjective Analysis of Breaking Bad ....Pages 217-232 Theater of the Absurd: Breaking Bad as Edifying Philosophy....Pages 233-248 Back Matter....Pages 249-266