The University of Glasgow is offering the “D’Oh! The Simpsons Introduce Philosophy” course next semester.
Costing £30, professor John Donaldson will teach the class on Saturday, January 21 and Saturday, February 4.
“‘The Simpsons’ is one of the modern world’s greatest cultural artifacts partly because it is so full of philosophy,” reads the course description. “Aristotle, Kant, Marx, Camus, and many other great thinkers’ ideas are represented in what is arguably the purest of philosophical forms: the comic cartoon. This day-school will explore some of philosophy’s most inspiring ideas as presented in Matt Groening’s monument to the absurdities of human existence.”
In an interview with the BBC, Donaldson said that “Homer is a very complex character in many ways. He’s very gluttonous, he can be quite violent and self-interested. But at the same time he’s a character that’s hard not to like.”
“The Simpsons” first aired in 1989 and was created by Groening. It is one of the most popular animated TV shows of all time, and was just renewed for a 29th and 30th season earlier this month.
The renewal will bring the total number of episodes to 669, surpassing 635 “Gunsmoke” episodes to claim the record for the most ever by a scripted program.
“The Simpsons” is a Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Century Fox Television. Brooks, Groening and Jean are the executive producers. The Gracie Films Worldwide Brand Division develops and produces the licensed content for the series.