Disney and Philosophy

Take a magic carpet ride through Disney’s wonderful world of films and entertainment experiences, and discover the wisdom within its most popular and enduring stories

Philosophy begins in wonder, and there’s no question that Disney’s immersive worlds and iconic characters have enchanted generations of children and adults alike, inviting us to escape the mundane into a world of fantasy, imagination, and infinite possibility. In Disney and Philosophy, essays from thirty-two deep-thinking Disneyphiles chart a course through the philosophical world of Disney, tapping into the minds of the great sages of the ages—Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, Descartes, and Goofy—to explore universal questions of freedom, personal identity, morality, family, and friendship: 

• Can Sleeping Beauty know that she’s not dreaming?
• Does turning our emotions and memories “inside out” tell us who we are?
• What can Toy Story and Wall-E teach us about being human? 
• Is hakuna matata really such a problem-free philosophy?

If you’ve ever asked who you are, what is right, or what your purpose is, Disney and Philosophy will spark your curiosity and imagination with a whole new world of unexpected insight into the Magic Kingdom.