{"product_id":"dungeons-and-dragons-and-philosophy-isbn-9781118397626","title":"Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy","description":"\u003cp\u003eDo demons and devils have free will? Does justice exist in Menzoberranzan? What’s the morality involved with player characters casting necromancy and summoning spells?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDungeons \u0026amp; Dragons and Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e probes the rich terrain of philosophically compelling concepts and ideas that underlie \u003ci\u003eDungeons \u0026amp; Dragons\u003c\/i\u003e, the legendary fantasy role-playing game that grew into a world-wide cultural phenomenon. A series of accessible essays reveals what the imaginary worlds of \u003ci\u003eD\u0026amp;D\u003c\/i\u003e can teach us about ethics, morality, metaphysics and more.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eIllustrates a wide variety of philosophical concepts and ideas that arise in \u003ci\u003eDungeons \u0026amp; Dragons\u003c\/i\u003e gameplay and presents them in an accessible and entertaining manner\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eReveals how the strategies, tactics, improvisations, and role-play employed by \u003ci\u003eD\u0026amp;D\u003c\/i\u003e enthusiasts have startling parallels in the real world of philosophy\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eExplores a wide range of philosophical topics, including the nature of free will, the metaphysics of personal identity, the morality of crafting fictions, sex and gender issues in tabletop gameplay, and friendship and collaborative storytelling\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eProvides gamers with deep philosophical insights that can lead to a richer appreciation of \u003ci\u003eD\u0026amp;D\u003c\/i\u003e and any gaming experience\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAbbreviations Used in the Text viii\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIntroduction: A Game Like No Other 1\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart I Lawful Good vs. Chaotic Evil 5\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 Sympathy for the Devils: Free Will and Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons 7\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eGreg Littmann\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 Paragons and Knaves: Does Good Character Make for a Good Character? 23\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eJ.K. Miles and Karington Hess\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 Is Anyone Actually Chaotic Evil?: A Playable Theory of Willful Wrongdoing 35\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eNeil Mussett\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart II So Did You Win? Philosophy and D\u0026amp;D Gameplay 61\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 Save vs. Death: Some Reflections on the Lifecycle of PCs 63\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChristopher Robichaud\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 To My Other Self: Reflection and Existentialism in Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons 72\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eRob Crandall and Charles Taliaferro\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 Player-Character Is What You Are in the Dark: The Phenomenology of Immersion in Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons 82\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eWilliam J. White\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart III Crafting Worlds 93\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 Imagination and Creation: The Morality of Fiction in Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons 95\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eRobert A. Delfino and Jerome C. Hillock\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 Dungeonmastery as Soulcraft 106\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eBen Dyer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart IV Foray into the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance 119\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 Menzoberranzan: A Perfect Unjust State 121\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eMatt Hummel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 Who Is Raistlin Majere? 132\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eKevin McCain\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart V The Ethics of Spellcasting 145\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 Expediency and Expendability: An Exhumation of the Morality of Necromancy 147\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eMatthew Jones and Ashley Brown\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 By Friendship or Force: Is it Ethical to Summon Animals to Fight by Your Side in Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons? 163\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eSamantha Noll\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart VI Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons out in the Real World 173\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e13 “Kill her, kill her! Oh God, I’m sorry!”: Spectating Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons 175\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eEsther MacCallum-Stewart\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 Berserker in a Skirt: Sex and Gender in Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons 189\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eShannon M. Mussett\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e15 “Others play at dice”: Friendship and Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons 202\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eJeffery L. Nicholas\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eContributors 217\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIndex 223\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cb\u003eChristopher Robichaud\u003c\/b\u003e is Lecturer in Ethics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he teaches moral philosophy, political philosophy, and social epistemology. He has contributed to the Wiley Blackwell volumes \u003ci\u003eBatman and Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSuperman and Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWatchmen and Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eX-Men and Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHeroes and Philosophy, Spider-Man and Philosophy, Iron Man and Philosophy, Avengers and Philosophy, True Blood and Philosophy,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eGame of Thrones and Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWilliam Irwin\u003c\/b\u003e (series editor) is Professor of Philosophy at King’s College. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as co-editor of the bestselling \u003ci\u003eThe Simpsons and Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e and has overseen titles including \u003ci\u003eHouse and Philosophy, Batman and Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eSouth Park and Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDoes justice exist in the drow city of Menzoberranzan?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHow does one cope with the death of a player character?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIs it ever morally acceptable to cast necromancy and summoning spells?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIs Raistlin Majere the same person over time?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo demons and devils have free will?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst introduced by war-game enthusiasts Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974\u003ci\u003e, Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons\u003c\/i\u003e developed into a cultural phenomenon that continues to cast a spell on millions of gaming aficionados around the world. \u003ci\u003eDungeons \u0026amp; Dragons and Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e delves into the heroic quests, deadly battles, and medieval courtly intrigue of the legendary role-playing game to probe its rich terrain of philosophically compelling concepts and ideas. From the nature of free will and the metaphysics of personal identity to the morality of crafting fictions and the role of friendship in collaborative storytelling, \u003ci\u003eD\u0026amp;D\u003c\/i\u003e players and gaming enthusiasts will gain startling insights into the deep philosophical issues that underlie a broad swath of role-playing tactics and strategies. Put the broadswords away and let \u003ci\u003eDungeons \u0026amp; Dragons and Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e transport you across the philosophical divide.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wiley-Blackwell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47989090451685,"sku":"NP9781118397626","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781118397626.jpg?v=1761782756","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/dungeons-and-dragons-and-philosophy-isbn-9781118397626","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}