| Acknowledgments |
|
ix | |
| Introduction: "Unraveling the Mysteries" |
|
1 | (6) |
|
PART ONE "IT ALL BEGAN ON A WARM SUMMER'S EVENING IN GREECE": ARISTOTELIAN INSIGHTS |
|
|
|
1 Aristotle on Sheldon Cooper: Ancient Greek Meets Modern Geek |
|
|
7 | (14) |
|
|
|
2 "You're a Sucky, Sucky Friend": Seeking Aristotelian Friendship in The Big Bang Theory |
|
|
21 | (14) |
|
|
|
3 The Big Bang Theory on the Use and Abuse of Modern Technology |
|
|
35 | (16) |
|
|
|
PART TWO "IS IT WRONG TO SAY I LOVE OUR KILLER ROBOT?": ETHICS AND VIRTUE |
|
|
|
4 Feeling Bad about Feeling Good: Is It Morally Wrong to Laugh at Sheldon? |
|
|
51 | (14) |
|
|
|
5 ... But Is Wil Wheaton Evil? |
|
|
65 | (15) |
|
|
|
6 Do We Need a Roommate Agreement?: Pleasure, Selfishness, and Virtue in The Big Bang Theory |
|
|
80 | (19) |
|
|
|
|
|
PART THREE "PERHAPS YOU MEAN A DIFFERENT THING THAN I DO WHEN YOU SAY `SCIENCE'": SCIENCE, SCIENTISM, AND RELIGION |
|
|
|
7 Getting Fundamental about Doing Physics in The Big Bang Theory |
|
|
99 | (13) |
|
|
|
8 Sheldon, Leonard, and Leslie: The Three Faces of Quantum Gravity |
|
|
112 | (16) |
|
|
|
9 The One Paradigm to Rule Them All: Scientism and The Big Bang Theory |
|
|
128 | (16) |
|
|
|
10 Cooper Considerations: Science, Religion, and Family |
|
|
144 | (17) |
|
|
|
|
|
PART FOUR "I NEED YOUR OPINION ON A MATTER OF SEMIOTICS": LANGUAGE AND MEANING |
|
|
|
11 Wittgenstein and Language Games in The Big Bang Theory |
|
|
161 | (14) |
|
|
|
12 "I'm Afraid You Couldn't Be More Wrong!": Sheldon and Being Right about Being Wrong |
|
|
175 | (14) |
|
|
|
13 The Cooper Conundrum: Good Lord, Who's Tolerating Whom? |
|
|
189 | (14) |
|
|
|
14 The Mendacity Bifurcation |
|
|
203 | (16) |
|
|
|
PART FIVE "THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE THAT HAS ALWAYS ELUDED ME": THE HUMAN CONDITION |
|
|
|
15 Mothers and Sons of The Big Bang Theory |
|
|
219 | (14) |
|
|
|
16 Penny, Sheldon, and Personal Growth through Difference |
|
|
233 | (11) |
|
|
|
17 Deconstructing the Women of The Big Bang Theory: So Much More Than Girlfriends |
|
|
244 | (13) |
|
|
|
|
| The Episode Compendium: "Hey, It's a Big Menu---There's Two Pages Just for Desserts" |
|
257 | (4) |
| Contributors: "But If We Were Part of the Team ... We Could Drink for Free in Any Bar in Any College Town" |
|
261 | (6) |
| Index: "Cornucopia ... Let's Make That Our Word of the Day" |
|
267 | |