Bad Philosophy

If the Cohen Brothers had invented a role-playing game based on the essence of their movies, what would it look like? Well, we here at BF think it might resemble a little ol’ indie creation from the folks at Bully Pulpit Games called “Fiasco.” Kevin brought this to my attention recently and I could not wait to play it! We got our good friend and movie buff Brian Morgan to join in, and together spawned one monster of a case study in collaborative, combinatorial storytelling. There was blood, betrayal, burgers… and it was our longest episode ever! Have a listen…

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The Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage:
“Blood Simpler” by Carter Burwell

Questions Answered in This Week’s FormSqueeze:
Why that logo?

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Brian Morgan, Bully Pup Games, Cohen Brothers, Fiasco, Kevin, mafia, record industry, Stephen, table top gaming, Wil Wheaton

Bullies. Troublemakers. Destroyers. We all know them, we all detest them, and some of us actively fear them. But are “Jokers,” the wildcards of society, actually a fundamental reason why society works? Writing for ThisOrThat.com, Benjamin Chabot-Hanowell recently summarized a study out of Spain that first ran in the Journal of Theoretical Biology concluding just such a possibility. Never ones to take science at face value, Kevin, Kiki, and I joined forces with fan-turned-guest Matt Epperson to tackle this proposal head-on. So get ready for a wild ride through Gotham, game theory, and cooperative action… it’s BF time!

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This Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage:
Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan – Raj Kapoor – Mera Naam Joker (YouTube)

Questions Answered in this Week’s FormSqueeze:
Why this question?
Favorite green thing?
Mocktail creation?

Disagree with us? Say so!
Add your thoughts in the comments below…

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9-11, AirBnb, Alan Moore, anarchy, autopsies, Bass Pro Shop, Batman, Bernie Madoff, Code for America, collective action, comics, crime, eBay, ethics, financial services, free market, French Revolution, game theory, Getaround, government, ion, iTunes U, Joker, Kevin, Kiki, lighthouses, Lloyd Blankfein, mafia, Matt E, Mitt Romney, Nash Equilibrium, NPR, Planet Money, PRI, Prisoners' Dilemma, publics goods, rational anarchy, social engineering, Stephen, Steven Levitt, superheroes, taxes, Texas Tech University, The Dark Knight, The Killing Joke, The Price is Right, thermodynamics, This American Life, Tragedy of the Commons, Watchmen

Not many people get the distinct honor of having their name turned into a derogatory term. Rick Santorum now shares the distinct company of the Patsies and Benedict Arnold in that the very mention of his moniker elicits feelings of disgust and revulsion. Thanks, Dan Savage. In this episode we take a look at Rick’s religious radicalism in the greater context of politics, the 2012 election, and QUILTBAGs. Joining me and Kevin for this episode are two *BRAND NEW* guests, my good friend and cinephile Brian Morgan and his philosopher god-brother Ryan Usher. So grab your voter registration card, hold onto your holy book, and tear off a generous portion of paper towels, it’s BF time!

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This Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage
“The Presidents” by Jonathan Coulton

Questions Answered in This Week’s FormSqueeze
No phone. What would you miss?

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2012 Election, Aaron Sorkin, atheism, Barack Obama, Brian Morgan, Christianity, class warfare, college, culture, culture war, cynicism, Dan Savage, dance, Democrat, education, elections, feminism, film, First Amendment, FOX News, Frank Luntz, Grand Ayatolla Ali Khamenei, Greek philosophy, homosexuality, Howard Dean, intelligent design, Iran, John Edwards, John Kerry, Justice Party, Karl Rove, Kitzmiller v. Dover, Liberalism, Libertarian, Lutherans, Mad Max, memes, Mitt Romney, Mormonism, Neil Degrasse-Tyson, NPR, politics, President Obama, President of the United States, psychology, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, QUILTBAG, Ralph Nader, rational anarchy, religion, religious right, Republican, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Rocky Anderson, Ron Paul, Ryan Usher, sirens, socialism, Star Wars, textbooks, texting, The Daily Show, The Odyssey, The Partially Examined Life, The Stranger, The West Wing, This American Life, United States, University of Washington, women

“To be or not to be? Aye, there’s the point.”

Quite honestly, it astounds me that this particular wording of a line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet comes to us from a so-called “bad” version. I rather like it. But who am I to judge thespian subtleties, eh? That’s why I called in certified Master of Theatre Kevin Saunders to help me gush over and carefully analyze Canadian dramedy Slings and Arrows. It’s carefully woven story lines and brilliantly developed characters expertly weave the themes of Shakespeare into a modern setting, and make for some lively discussion of course. Why, it may even tear you away from writing that good version of The Phantom Menace that someone should’ve convinced King George to make in the first. Break a leg! And have a listen…

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This Week’s Post-show Song Pimpage:
Closing Theme from Slings and Arrows

Questions Answered in This Week’s FormSqueeze:
Flowers?
State relations?

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Academy Awards, Aristotle, Arrested Development, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Community, death, E.T., flowers, Hamlet, Heroes, heterosexuality, homosexuality, irony, James Kakalios, Joss Whedon, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin, life, love, MacBeth, modernism, Much Ado About Nothing, Oscars, Pandora, post-modernism, post-structuralism, Rifftrax, Robert Wilson, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare, Slings and Arrows, Stephen, structuralism, Synecdoche New York, The Physics of Superheroes, theatre, Tony Awards, Top Gun, TV Tropes, West Side Story, Wikipedia