A Comic to teach Philosophy?
One thing I really enjoy about living in Canada is having access to a library. Although I still buy lots of books, the library makes my love affair with the written word a bit more economical. It has become a new ritual to visit the library once a week after excercising at the local community centre.
While browsing around, I stopped at the “graphic novel” section. These are essentially long comics… but at the same time they are so much more! Over time, people have developed a real sense of story telling in these books, combining art and words into a new artform. These have been around for a while, with pioneers like Tintin popularizing the format. Most recently though, I have found some really good educational comics.
Take for example “Action Philosophers!” by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey. In their books they give summaries of what the great philosophers of our time have thought, and how it has changed history. Their first installment moves from Plato to Frued, stopping along the way with the teachings of Bodhidharma, Thomas Jefferson, and St. Augustine. It amazed me that in one night of reading I could get a firm sense of their fundamental contributions to society. The effects of this graphic novel have not ceased. When I returned the book, I sought out the philosophy section in the library to learn more about a couple of the stories that piqued my interest!