Lessons from The Walking Dead: What We Can Learn from One of the Best Shows on Television

by Dustin Axe

Civilization has collapsed. There is no electricity, no running water, and no government. An unknown pathogen causes the dead to rise and to eat the living. But endless hordes of the dead are not the only enemy. The living can be equally dangerous. Do you have the necessary skills to stay alive?

AMC’s The Walking Dead shows us what a zombie apocalypse is all about. Rick, Carl, Maggie, Glenn, Michonne, and the other survivors have to not only stay alive but also contemplate philosophical questions: Are there morals in a post-apocalyptic world? How can civilization be rebuilt? On what values should civilization be built upon? Was Shane right the whole time? Is Morgan truly living an ethical life?

This book addresses these questions by reflecting on the work of philosophers Immanuel Kant, Thomas Hobbes, Peter Singer, and more. It connects the philosophical themes of The Walking Dead with urgent global problems, such as climate change, poverty and war, and concludes with a discussion on how to prevent a real apocalypse. This thought-provoking book is essential for fans of The Walking Dead looking to make sense of the philosophical themes that emerge on one of the best shows on television.

51 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 12, 2016