We’ve noted before that long-time Atlasphere member (and Ayn Rand Meta-Blog contributor) Shawn Klein co-edited a new volume of philosophical essays titled Harry Potter and Philosophy. The volume also includes essays by Atlasphere member Diana Hsieh and interviewee Mimi Riesel Gladstein.
In a related development, today Klien was prominently featured on the main page of the web site for his alma mater, Tufts University. The corresponding story is titled “Taking Harry Potter Higher,” which explores the ways in which Klein’s book “bridges the gap between pop culture and philosophical thought.”
The article begins:
When Shawn Klein first started reading J.K. Rowling’s phenomenally popular “Harry Potter” series, the 1995 Tufts graduate – now a PhD student and part-time philosophy professor – did so reluctantly. “My wife started to read Harry Potter first,” he recalls. “I put off reading it, thinking, ‘Oh, it’s a kids’ story.’ Finally, she said, ‘No, Shawn, you have to read this.'”
Klein soon realized that taking his wife’s advice was the right thing to do: He was hooked just a few pages into the first installment of the best-selling series, which follows a young, orphaned wizard as he attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, making friends and enemies as he uncovers his past and confronts his destiny.
And now, with the recent publication of “Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts” – a collection of 16 Potter-themed essays – Klein has blended his appreciation for the Potter series with his love of philosophy. The book, which Klein co-edited and contributed to, is the latest in Open Court Publishing Company’s well-reviewed “Pop Culture and Philosophy” series. (Previous volumes include “Seinfeld and Philosophy” and “The Simpsons and Philosophy.”)
See the full article for more information.
Our hearty congratulations to Shawn on this well-deserved recognition!