The World According to Jack Bauer
-
- December
- 20
I can just imagine the questions:
If Jack Bauer shoots someone in the knee but they’re already unconscious, does it still hurt?
If Chloe hacks into the DOD network to download DefSec Heller’s recent Amazon.com purchases so Jack can figure out what to buy him for Christmas, is it still illegal?
If Dennis Haysbert is playing an “elite counterterrorist” operative on CBS’ The Unit, does that mean that former President David Palmer can never rise from the dead on 24 on Fox?
If Kiefer Sutherland is serving time for drunk driving, does Jack Bauer now have a police record? Will he lose his top-secret clearance?
What the hell am I talking about?
Three philosophy professors from Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto, Canada, have edited a book called “24 and Philosophy: The World According to Jack.”
No, really.
It’ll be released tomorrow (Friday) in Toronto.
Dammit! What about Barnes & Noble? OK, it’s on Amazon.
Profs. Jennifer Hart Weed, Ronald Weed and Richard Davis put together this “witty but philosophical exploration of the methods and motivations used by Jack Bauer and other characters in the highly charged television drama.” They’re the three-person philosophy department at Tyndale and all are fans of the show. They recruited fans from around the world to write essays for the book.
A press release on the book (which is dedicated to Edgar! yay!) gives a taste:
In the chapter, How the Cell Phone Changed the World and Made “24”, it is
stated that we struck a Faustian bargain with the invention of the cell phone: its greatest blessing is its greatest curse – you are always available. In real life, as in the program, it makes rapid communication possible. It is also more and more integral to the plot of the show: if the phone works, if it doesn’t; if one is available, if one isn’t; if it’s turned off, if it’s turned on. This creates, builds and relieves suspense and tension. The same can be said about the effect cell phones have on our real world.
Here’s a podcast of an interview Jennifer Weed did with a radio station in Connecticut. And here’s the book’s Facebook page.
This is my philosophical question:
Is a book like this legit or just another example of how crass commercialism has crept into every single freakin’ aspect of our lives, even those of us in the seminary?
Methinks Jennifer Hart Weed may have a wee bit of a crush on our dear Jack, too:
Service of the ideal is constant: a belief in protecting the innocent. We care about Jack. We like him. We believe in him. I would definitely sit down and have a beer with Jack Bauer because there are so few people left who believe in ideals anymore. To get somebody whose beliefs go beyond themselves – that’s somebody I want to have a beer with.
That’s very nice and all, Dr. Weed, but don’t tell Jack you want to get “bombed” with him. You’re liable to find yourself up against a wall, your neck firmly in Jack’s grip. And don’t drive with him after you’ve finished drinking, either. He doesn’t have a very good record when it comes to driving drunk.
Meanwhile, check out what Blogs4Bauer wants for Christmas. It’s not too much to ask for, is it?
This entry was posted
on Thursday, December 20th, 2007 at 4:03 pm by Amy Vernon.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print
| 
Email
I purchased and read 24 and Philosophy. It’s GREAT! It’s a wonderful read and has many thought-provoking essays on 24 and Jack Bauer. It also has a lot of humor in it and really opens your eyes about numerous aspects of the unique and addicting 24. The book gives insight into how the audience reacts to the time factor, Jack’s tough decisions, politics and our culture today.
It’s a must-read for Kiefer Sutherland fans and 24 addicts.