Since its inception in 2000, Open Court's Popular Culture and Philosophy series has brought high-quality philosophy to general readers. The volumes present essays by academic philosophers exploring the meanings, concepts, and puzzles within television shows, movies, music and other icons of popular culture.
If you have a proposal for a volume in the series, please send it along. But keep in mind that most PCP volumes are not about entire genres in popular culture. They focus on specific television programs, hit movies, books, video games or trends. Proposals for titles such as "Video Games and Philosophy" or "Action Movies and Philosophy," are much less appealing than (for example) "Grand Theft Auto . . ." or "Kill Bill and Philosophy."
While many items in popular culture have identifiable philosophical content, that does not guarantee that "X and philosophy" will appeal to fans. (By X, I mean the topic in question, not the highly underrated Los Angeles punk band of the 1980s!) In many cases, fans would probably rather re-watch the movie or re-read the book than open a book of scholarly essays about it. But when most fans think the movie or rock band in question is misunderstood or underappreciated, PCP volumes are just the thing—especially when the philosophers writing about the concepts and arguments in question are fans themselves.
So, if you have an idea or proposal for the series, feel free to contact me. And if you are interested in editing a volume, please indicate whether you believe that there are many philosophers among the fans of the topic. If Open Court and I decide to pursue your idea, we will get back to you (usually within a week or two) to discuss your idea and perhaps ask for a proposal that addresses these considerations in detail.
