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Better Call Saul and Philosophy
Better Call Saul and I Think Therefore I Scam is a collection of twenty-three essays exploring the philosophical themes in the hit television show Better Call Saul, a prequel to the TV show Breaking Bad. The sixth and final season of Better Call Saul, with thirteen episodes, began airing in April 2022.
The central character is Jimmy McGill, whom we know from Breaking Bad as Saul Goodman. In Better Call Saul he first takes the name of Saul Goodman from the phrase “S’all Good, Man!” Jimmy/Saul is a natural con artist who not only scams from self-interest but also because he enjoys it. He has a strange relationship with his brother, the distinguished lawyer Charles McGill, who resents Jimmy’s delinquency and advantage in parental affection. Jimmy/Saul becomes a lawyer for a drug cartel, and most of the people he meets are criminals and other kinds of villains.
Like Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul raises a wide range of philosophical issues including the nature of good and evil, personal identity, free will and determinism, the law as it relates to morality, the ethical implications of the war on drugs, death and dying, and many more. Better Call Saul and Philosophy offers thoughtful fans of the show deeper and more provocative insights into the story and the characters.
Topics covered the morality of keeping promises to wrongdoers, the nature of psychosomatic illness, difficult moral choices facing lawyers, just how good or bad are some of the compromised characters in the show, the unintended consequences of the War on Drugs, the similarities between drug cartels and governments, whether bad people are just unlucky, the perils of self-deception, and whether we ever really have much of a choice.
Better Call Saul and Philosophy is Volume 8 in the path-breaking series, Pop Culture and Philosophy.
The central character is Jimmy McGill, whom we know from Breaking Bad as Saul Goodman. In Better Call Saul he first takes the name of Saul Goodman from the phrase “S’all Good, Man!” Jimmy/Saul is a natural con artist who not only scams from self-interest but also because he enjoys it. He has a strange relationship with his brother, the distinguished lawyer Charles McGill, who resents Jimmy’s delinquency and advantage in parental affection. Jimmy/Saul becomes a lawyer for a drug cartel, and most of the people he meets are criminals and other kinds of villains.
Like Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul raises a wide range of philosophical issues including the nature of good and evil, personal identity, free will and determinism, the law as it relates to morality, the ethical implications of the war on drugs, death and dying, and many more. Better Call Saul and Philosophy offers thoughtful fans of the show deeper and more provocative insights into the story and the characters.
Topics covered the morality of keeping promises to wrongdoers, the nature of psychosomatic illness, difficult moral choices facing lawyers, just how good or bad are some of the compromised characters in the show, the unintended consequences of the War on Drugs, the similarities between drug cartels and governments, whether bad people are just unlucky, the perils of self-deception, and whether we ever really have much of a choice.
Better Call Saul and Philosophy is Volume 8 in the path-breaking series, Pop Culture and Philosophy.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 14, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 27, 2025
My amazing sisters bought me this book for Christmas, and I loved finally reading it!
Better Call Saul is my favourite non-Twin Peaks show of all time. For years now, it has challenged my pre-conceived notions of human behaviour and where our sense of morality and responsibility stems from. So, to learn there’s a whole book dedicated to essays delving into how this wonderful show portrays those very philosophies??? Count me in. What a wonderful little book. I was initially pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t watered down in its philosophical concepts, as this book appeals more (i imagine) to people like me who just like the show, but it incorporated really complex ideas while still being accessible, though not to the detriment of its expression.
One of the only things I would say is that it was weighted too much to certain characters/plot beats. At a point, I felt that I’d heard enough about Jimmy (Saul) and Chuck’s (his brother) relationship. It makes sense that there’s so much of it, because their dynamic might be the most complex fictional relationship I’ve ever witnessed. I just can’t help but wish that they spent more time unpacking Kim, who only got one dedicated chapter and sporadic mentions, and Nacho, who literally ONLY got the one chapter.
Then there’s Lalo, who wasn’t mentioned at all, outside of his relation to OTHER characters. I’d argue that he is philosophically among the most interesting characters, not just in the show… but ever. He defies not only narrative convention but, in doing so, completely obliterates any sense that he takes morality into account when enacting his goals.
It’s also very interesting that this book was released BEFORE the show’s final season - arguably its most complex. It’s fun to see how the various writers perceived these characters BEFORE some of their biggest moments. But it’s a credit to the show that there’s SO much to unpack about every single character without even having the full picture.
Such a good read. I LOVE THIS SHOW.
Better Call Saul is my favourite non-Twin Peaks show of all time. For years now, it has challenged my pre-conceived notions of human behaviour and where our sense of morality and responsibility stems from. So, to learn there’s a whole book dedicated to essays delving into how this wonderful show portrays those very philosophies??? Count me in. What a wonderful little book. I was initially pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t watered down in its philosophical concepts, as this book appeals more (i imagine) to people like me who just like the show, but it incorporated really complex ideas while still being accessible, though not to the detriment of its expression.
One of the only things I would say is that it was weighted too much to certain characters/plot beats. At a point, I felt that I’d heard enough about Jimmy (Saul) and Chuck’s (his brother) relationship. It makes sense that there’s so much of it, because their dynamic might be the most complex fictional relationship I’ve ever witnessed. I just can’t help but wish that they spent more time unpacking Kim, who only got one dedicated chapter and sporadic mentions, and Nacho, who literally ONLY got the one chapter.
Then there’s Lalo, who wasn’t mentioned at all, outside of his relation to OTHER characters. I’d argue that he is philosophically among the most interesting characters, not just in the show… but ever. He defies not only narrative convention but, in doing so, completely obliterates any sense that he takes morality into account when enacting his goals.
It’s also very interesting that this book was released BEFORE the show’s final season - arguably its most complex. It’s fun to see how the various writers perceived these characters BEFORE some of their biggest moments. But it’s a credit to the show that there’s SO much to unpack about every single character without even having the full picture.
Such a good read. I LOVE THIS SHOW.
August 15, 2023
التدهور الأخلاقي
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يهتم معظم علماء النفس التنموي والفلاسفة الأخلاقيين بالنمو الأخلاقي أكثر من اهتمامهم بالتدهور. تصور جان بياجيه التطور الأخلاقي كعملية بناءة تنتج من خلالها المفاهيم الأخلاقية من تفاعل أفعال الطفل وأفكاره.
بعد بياجيه ، حدد لورانس كولبرج ست مراحل للتطور الأخلاقي: 1. الالتزام بمجموعة من القواعد الصارمة. 2. تقييم الإجراءات المتعلقة باحتياجات الناس. 3. التوافق من أجل التوافق فقط أو اللطف. 4. احترام شخصيات السلطة. 5. تقييم الإجراءات المتعلقة بالحقوق الفردية. 6. مناشدة المبادئ الأخلاقية باستخدام التفكير المجرد.
يعتقد الفيلسوف الأخلاقي الإنجليزي جون ستيوارت ميل أن الحكم الأخلاقي الجيد يأتي كنتيجة لاختيار الفعل الذي يعظم من السعادة البشرية ، وخاصة السعادة المرتبطة بالكليات العليا.
وضع الفيلسوف الألماني إيمانويل كانط نظرية مفادها أن التفكير الأخلاقي يتضمن اتباع الحتمية القاطعة ، وهو إجراء لتحديد المبدأ أو القاعدة الكامنة وراء عملك ، وتعميمه ومعرفة ما إذا كان يؤدي إلى تناقض.
إن اختيار تعظيم السعادة أو اتباع الحتمية القاطعة يطرح السؤال التالي: لماذا يختار أولئك - القادرين تمامًا على تحديد المسار الصحيح للعمل - المسار الخطأ؟
التدهور الأخلاقي أو الفشل الأخلاقي غير مهم من الناحية الفلسفية لمعظم علماء النفس والفلاسفة ، لكنه مذهل تمامًا لبقيتنا!
المؤلفون الذين يهتمون بالتدهور الأخلاقي هم أولئك الذين يهتمون بقوة العادة. يرى عالم الاجتماع الفرنسي بيير بورديو أن العادة (أو ما يشير إليه بـ "الموطن") هي نزعة إلى الفعل ، تتشكل من خلال الأحداث الماضية وتوجهها الاحتمالات المستقبلية. وبالمثل ، يعتقد الفيلسوف الأمريكي جون ديوي أن العادة هي ميل نحو الفعل الذي تم زرعه بمرور الوقت ، مما يتيح له النمو أو التدهور ، وينتج عن تفاعل الكائن الحي مع بيئته!!
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Joshua Heter
Better Call Saul and Philosophy
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
.
يهتم معظم علماء النفس التنموي والفلاسفة الأخلاقيين بالنمو الأخلاقي أكثر من اهتمامهم بالتدهور. تصور جان بياجيه التطور الأخلاقي كعملية بناءة تنتج من خلالها المفاهيم الأخلاقية من تفاعل أفعال الطفل وأفكاره.
بعد بياجيه ، حدد لورانس كولبرج ست مراحل للتطور الأخلاقي: 1. الالتزام بمجموعة من القواعد الصارمة. 2. تقييم الإجراءات المتعلقة باحتياجات الناس. 3. التوافق من أجل التوافق فقط أو اللطف. 4. احترام شخصيات السلطة. 5. تقييم الإجراءات المتعلقة بالحقوق الفردية. 6. مناشدة المبادئ الأخلاقية باستخدام التفكير المجرد.
يعتقد الفيلسوف الأخلاقي الإنجليزي جون ستيوارت ميل أن الحكم الأخلاقي الجيد يأتي كنتيجة لاختيار الفعل الذي يعظم من السعادة البشرية ، وخاصة السعادة المرتبطة بالكليات العليا.
وضع الفيلسوف الألماني إيمانويل كانط نظرية مفادها أن التفكير الأخلاقي يتضمن اتباع الحتمية القاطعة ، وهو إجراء لتحديد المبدأ أو القاعدة الكامنة وراء عملك ، وتعميمه ومعرفة ما إذا كان يؤدي إلى تناقض.
إن اختيار تعظيم السعادة أو اتباع الحتمية القاطعة يطرح السؤال التالي: لماذا يختار أولئك - القادرين تمامًا على تحديد المسار الصحيح للعمل - المسار الخطأ؟
التدهور الأخلاقي أو الفشل الأخلاقي غير مهم من الناحية الفلسفية لمعظم علماء النفس والفلاسفة ، لكنه مذهل تمامًا لبقيتنا!
المؤلفون الذين يهتمون بالتدهور الأخلاقي هم أولئك الذين يهتمون بقوة العادة. يرى عالم الاجتماع الفرنسي بيير بورديو أن العادة (أو ما يشير إليه بـ "الموطن") هي نزعة إلى الفعل ، تتشكل من خلال الأحداث الماضية وتوجهها الاحتمالات المستقبلية. وبالمثل ، يعتقد الفيلسوف الأمريكي جون ديوي أن العادة هي ميل نحو الفعل الذي تم زرعه بمرور الوقت ، مما يتيح له النمو أو التدهور ، وينتج عن تفاعل الكائن الحي مع بيئته!!
.
Joshua Heter
Better Call Saul and Philosophy
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
November 17, 2022
Pretty good, interesting stuff
January 21, 2023
My son tried literally for years to get me to watch Breaking Bad. I refused, stating that I just couldn't watch a show where the main characters were horrible and where the main topic was meth dealers. Then he showed me a clip of the spin-off show, Better Call Saul.
It sucked me right in. I wanted to know more about Jimmy McGill....and after watching every season, of course, I had to watch Breaking Bad as well. We have now watched every episode of both. I liked Better Call Saul better than Breaking Bad because my son and I had some long discussions about character motivation, events, whose behavior was the worst, etc. Then I saw this book online, and just had to read it. Many of the essays in this book mirrored discussions my son and I had while watching the show. Questions like: when was Chuck's ending inevitable? Whose behavior was worse - Chuck or Jimmy? Why did Kim and Jimmy do what they did to Howard? Is it worse to trick someone for fun, or as a means to an end? When had Jimmy gone too far to the Saul side to come back? Did Jimmy redeem himself in the end?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And, in discussing the essays with my son, we had even more moral discussions about the show and the characters.
Great book! It's part of the Pop Culture and Philosophy series. There are multiple books in this series ranging from Pokemon to Dave Chapelle and even Punk Rock. I plan to read more!
It sucked me right in. I wanted to know more about Jimmy McGill....and after watching every season, of course, I had to watch Breaking Bad as well. We have now watched every episode of both. I liked Better Call Saul better than Breaking Bad because my son and I had some long discussions about character motivation, events, whose behavior was the worst, etc. Then I saw this book online, and just had to read it. Many of the essays in this book mirrored discussions my son and I had while watching the show. Questions like: when was Chuck's ending inevitable? Whose behavior was worse - Chuck or Jimmy? Why did Kim and Jimmy do what they did to Howard? Is it worse to trick someone for fun, or as a means to an end? When had Jimmy gone too far to the Saul side to come back? Did Jimmy redeem himself in the end?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And, in discussing the essays with my son, we had even more moral discussions about the show and the characters.
Great book! It's part of the Pop Culture and Philosophy series. There are multiple books in this series ranging from Pokemon to Dave Chapelle and even Punk Rock. I plan to read more!
September 21, 2025
Brilliant analysis that was particularly well articulated. The layered writing of BCS and its structured use of techniques like nonlinear chronology and prop-based themes lends itself to the exceptional analysis offered from these professors. Being able to call upon the more metaphysically focused Breaking Bad universe in a prequel context also made for interesting reading, broaching meta concepts on free will and superdeterminism. By far the meatiest content covered, however, are the highly nuanced takes on ethical ambiguity and amoralism. I expect many will be blown away by the fresh takes on formidable philosophies subtly offered by Mike and Nacho, or Kim and good old Chuck, involving challenging views on morality one may rarely encounter (especially in such a cathartically intuitive way). In summary, this book is about methodology: how people get to be how they are, how they can change, and why it’s all important.
May 24, 2023
This book is very deep, but it analyzes the characters in Better Call Saul from a philosophical standpoint. In examining the motives for each characters actions and reactions, the authors (it's a compilation) judge each character based on philosophers from Kant to Locke to Nietzsche and beyond. It is interesting to think about why Chuck or Jimmy or Kim or Nacho makes the decisions that each one does, and to realize the import of even small actions on more than just the individuals involved. If you love the show and are the least bit interested in philosophy, you will like this book.
May 6, 2024
The discussion of Thomas Nagel's "Moral Luck" by Daniel Carr in his essay "Can we Blame Jimmy for Being Jimmy?" is most interesting and provocative.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews