The Devil and Philosophy: The Nature of His Game

Popular Culture and Philosophy #83

by Robert Arp (Editor)

In The Devil and Philosophy, 34 philosophers explore questions about one of the most recognizable and influential characters (villains?) of all time. From Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion to Bram Stoker's Dracula to Darth Vader to Al Pacino's iconic performance in The Devil's Advocate, this book demonstrates that a little devil goes a long way. From humorous appearances, as in Kevin Smith's film Dogma and Chuck Palahniuk's novels Damned and its sequel Doomed, to more villanous appearances, such as Gabriel Byrne's cold outing as Satan in End of Days, The Devil in Philosophy proves that the Devil comes in many forms.

Through the lenses of Jung, Kant, Kundera, Balkan, Plato, Bradwardine, Aristotle, Hume, Blackburn, Descartes, Lavey, Thoreau, and Aquinas, The Devil and Philosophy take a philosophical look at one of time's greatest characters. Are there any good arguments for the actual existence of the Devil? Does demonic evil thrive in Gotham City? Can humans really be accountable for all evil? Which truths about the Devil are actual facts? Is Milton correct, in that the Devil believes he is doing good?

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Psychology, Pop Culture

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 21, 2014

About the author

Robert Arp, Ph.D. (Saint Louis University, 2005), has taught Philosophy at Southwest Minnesota State University, Florida State University, and many schools in Missouri, before doing postdoctoral research in ontology through the National Center for Biomedical Ontology with Mark Musen and Barry Smith at the University at Buffalo.

Reviews

[Rhiannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting much from this, and in the first few chapters, even my low expectations were met with disappointment. I realize now that that's only because I didn't have much of a foundation in the basics of philosophy to start with and thus was unable to appreciate the arguments being made. A few episodes of Crash Course Philosophy later, and this became one of my favorite reads of the year.

Kant comes up a lot, and I finally feel like I have a grasp of some of his work thanks to outstanding illustrative essays by Danny Smith and George Dunn, which focus on Christopher Nolan's Joker rather than Satan. A later essay by James Edwin Mahon really drives it home by focusing more broadly on the psychology of those we interact with in the real world.

Topics range from the umbrella categories of ontology, epistemology, and aesthetics, to the more granular stuff of logic, so it really is a smorgasbord of analytical thought focusing mostly on the nature of evil - the psychology, the history of it, etc. - more so than on the mythology of the devil, though there is plenty of that, both in the form of sympathetic apologia and the kind that looks down at the subject like a disapproving schoolmarm. Plus everything in between.

Special mentions go to the feminist examination done by Cynthia M. Jones, Sandra Hansmann, and Anne Stachura, and an objectively aesthetic evaluation of satanic metal by Nick Jones. There's so much more that I found both educational and entertaining, but those are the ones that spring most vividly to mind.

It finishes with a back and forth between two academics who have studied Satanism and the Magus of the Church of Satan himself, which reads like a long form comment section between three highly educated dudes, one of whom is a bit more opinionated than he is educated in the ways of logic/philosophy. I mostly glossed over it to get to the appendix that caps it all off at the end with brief stories of anti-social behavior suspected to have been the influence of the devil.

All in all, a very fun read, especially gratifying when paired with a psychology book such as The Mind Club, which I read concurrently with this. Psych/'sophy is a match made in heaven, and I can't wait to collect more from this series so I can do it again.

[Richard Gazala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thirty-five philosophers of varying diabolic inclination gather under editor Robert Arp's direction to opine on whether the devil exists, and if so, what might be his objectives. The 35 thinkers spin short and usually entertaining ruminations exploring deviltry's long reach into history, religion, literature and the arts. The scattershot result likely won't change a reader's mind about what Satan's up to if he's actually around, but the book's a breezy, interesting read written with forked tongues planted firmly in leathery cheeks. (Note: Readers desiring a weightier and very amusing contemplation of Lucifer's curriculum vitae and future plans will enjoy Jeremy Leven's 1982 novel, "Satan, His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S.")

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some devilishly good essays. Not an easy read.

[Donna Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

We certainly have a love/hate relationship with The Devil.
Mostly, we love to hate him.
Although, we also love to reference him in:
movies, TV, books, Halloween costumes,
music, idioms, cartoons, legends,
even basing characters on him…
now, let’s put a smile on that face!

Had a Devil of a Time finding some of these:
1. Speak of the devil - if a friend says this when you show up, you have to wonder.
2. Better the Devil you know - seems like you just don’t want to take a chance.
3. Devil looks after his own – that seems fair.
4. Devilishly handsome – could have also gone with ‘hot’.
5. Ride with the Devil – no thanks, I’m guessing he doesn’t follow the rules of the road.
6. Devil of a time - can’t we just say difficult?
7. Give the Devil his due – has he earned it?
8. Devil-may-care attitude – maybe it’s just confidence or a certain Je ne sais quoi.
9. Tell the truth and shame the Devil – or tell the truth without shaming or blaming.
10. The Devil went down to Georgia, he was looking for a soul to steal - wait, where’s The Walking Dead located again?
11. Between the devil and the deep blue sea - quite a Quagmire, giggity.
12. Have the Devil’s own luck – Can I take the luck, but skip what I have to do to get it?
13.The Devil made me do it – yes, yes, excellent, this one covers all manner of sins.

Satan, Beelzebub, Antichrist, Leviathan, Tempter, Belial, Lucifer, King of Tyre, The Dark One, Evil Incarnate…The Devil by any other name would smell, probably like sulphur. Whether you believe he’s real, or a story, or an allegory, I enjoyed exploring the nature of his game in The Devil and Philosophy edited by Robert Arp; one of the amazingly addictive Popular Culture and Philosophy series from Open Court. Filled to the brimstone with clever deep thinkers wickedly examining The Devil in all his forms and the depths he will descend to; let’s be clear, he obviously wants to get our goat.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween! Mine started off with Halloween treats for breakfast, I couldn’t help myself, The Devil made me do it.

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[Buck Wilde · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the contributors seemed to have a sympathetic soft spot for the Devil. That's cool. Me too. The only complaints I have is that Archmagus Satanhugger toward the end there talked too goddamn much.

While we're at it, how in the hell did a trio of unaccredited third-wave tumblr feminists manage to slip an erroneous reference to a 77 cent wage gap into a book of philosophical essays about Lucifer?

Twenty three cents says the editors stopped reading their chapter after the blithe, unseemly allusion to victim-blaming in the third paragraph.

I liked that a whole section of the book was about Batman, though. Nicely done.

[J. Gowin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read, which examines the Devil and his followers in many of their guises. While it lost a point for wandering, I would recomend it to anyone interested in the subject.

I am curious about one of the submitting authors. When Magus Peter H. Gilmore of the Church of Satan is introduced at parties, is he introduced as Magus, like a priest would be introduced as Father?

[Deepak Kashyap · Rating 3 out of 5]

It isn't an exceptional book in any sense of the term. However, it will provide you with an expansive understanding of the phenomenon of the Devil if you are not already acquainted with the topic. The deliberations/discussions approach the figure of the Devil from varied point of views such as theology, philosophy, pop-culture (movies, artworks, music), linguistics etc.

I had picked up the book for research for a paper. And, this needs to be pointed out that the book is in no way up to the academic standards which are expected of a book which would appear in 21st century and have "philosophy" in its name. This is despite the fact that many of the contributors hold PhDs. So, unsatisfactory on that aspect. However, it wouldn't also be fair to state that there isn't indulgence with the themes and thoughts that could be pursued in an academic undertaking. I am in two minds about having picked this book. On the one hand, I do have somewhat elaborate notes on the topic which shall be further explored and researched. On the other hand, I still have the feeling that maybe I could have picked a better book and not wasted my time on this one. I could only know this if I could somehow alter my past, which I can not. So, there.

It isn't a juiceless read however. The language of the book is sufficiently entertaining and conversational. The reader will find many utterances funny, relatable, and outright comic. I would give it to the book that I hadn't envisaged that I would be lightly amused throughout my perusal. So, not entirely a bad read either.

The question is: would I recommend it to someone wanting to understand the figure of the Devil? Umm, maybe not. There are surely good books on the topic. This one is not the one you want. This is not an academic read. At best, this could be a leisure read.

[Carlton Duff · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars…some decent essays and a couple clunkers.