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International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

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194110

Mostly harmless?

Hitchhiker's and the ethics of entertainment

Nicholas Joll

pp. 50-72

Abstract

Douglas Adams was interested in what entertains people. Witness several passages that I shall quote below and also the wonderful Mostly Harmless passage that I have reproduced above.1 That interest in entertainment is unsurprising. Adams was a comedy writer and, in person, a raconteur. Now, what interests me, as a philosopher, and indeed as a citizen, is this: Hitchhiker's prompts reflection upon the ethics of entertainment (and, actually, that seems to have been something that interested Adams himself as well).2

Publication details

Published in:

Joll Nicholas (2012) Philosophy and the Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

Pages: 50-72

DOI: 10.1007/978-0-230-39265-6_3

Full citation:

Joll Nicholas (2012) „Mostly harmless?: Hitchhiker's and the ethics of entertainment“, In: N. Joll (ed.), Philosophy and the Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 50–72.