Avatar The Last Airbender and Philos..., Johan De Smedt
Avatar The Last Airbender and Philos..., Johan De Smedt
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Avatar: The Last Airbender and Philosophy
Wisdom from Aang to Zuko

Author: Johan De Smedt, Helen De Cruz

Narrator: Tegan Ashton Cohan, Diontae Black

Unabridged: 10 hr 42 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/25/2023


Synopsis

Would our world be a better place if some of us were benders? Can Katara repair the world through care? Is Toph a disability pride icon? What does it mean for Zuko to be bad at being good? Can we tell whether uncle Iroh is a fool or a sage?

On the face of it, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a story about a lone superhero. However, saving the world is a team effort, embodied in Team Avatar, aka the Gaang. Aang needs help from his friends and tutors, even from non-human animals.

Avatar: The Last Airbender and Philosophy brings to the fore the Eastern, Western, and Indigenous philosophies that are implicit in the show. This volume features contributions by experts on Buddhist, Daoist, Confucian, and Indigenous schools of thought, next to focusing on Western classical authors. The volume is also unique in drawing on less common traditions such as black abolitionism, anarchism, and the philosophy of martial arts.

ATLA and Philosophy helps listeners to deeply engage with today's burning questions, such as how to deal with ecological destruction, the aftermath of colonialism and genocide, and wealth inequality, using the tools from a wide range of philosophical traditions.

About Johan De Smedt

Johan De Smedt is a research professor at Saint Louis University, Missouri, where he is coleading a project on oneness and interconnectedness. He is the author and editor (with Helen De Cruz) of The Challenge of Evolution to Religion, Empirically Engaged Evolutionary Ethics, and A Natural History of Natural Theology.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Dylan on April 17, 2023

I'm a sucker for different schools of philosophical thought, and the expansive world of Avatar has long been important to me. I wasn't sure what to expect from this collection, but it was fascinating and educational, broken up into several different situations, characters, and tropes that the origin......more

Goodreads review by Cal on January 13, 2023

This was a brilliant selection of papers on one of my favourite shows. The authors were extremely creative in their focus and raised some deep and powerful issues. From metaphysics to ethics, using ATLA as a springboard, this book brings philosophy to life.......more

Goodreads review by Savannah on March 20, 2024

Loved diving deeper into Avatar. Expanded my perspective on lots of events and characters in the series. Some of the essays went over my head. I think having some basic philosophy knowledge would’ve helped me.......more

Goodreads review by Alex on January 27, 2025

An interesting collection of essays spanning many philosophical disciplines and topics. In particular, the diversity of authors and frequency of chapters surrounding Native American and Asian philosophy enriched and opened up the world of ATLA in very creative and engaging ways. I highly recommend t......more

Goodreads review by Matthew on July 12, 2024

I enjoyed revisiting the series and thinking about it more philosophically. Some of the essays were more interesting to me than others, but worth a read if you enjoy philosophy and are a fan of the show!......more