Mark Twain and Philosophy

Alan Goldman is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Philosophy at the College of William & Mary. He has written extensively on philosophy and popular culture, literature, morality, love, and beauty. His most recent books include Philosophy and the Novel (2013) and Reasons from Within: Desires and Values (2009).

Goldman (College of William and Mary) is a philosopher, and in this introductory study of philosophy, he uses Twain’s texts as material. The 15 essays are organized into five sections. The first and strongest, “Morality in Huckleberry Finn,” centers on Huck’s developing conscience in relation to moral principles. “Twain on Religion” examines Twain’s late writing critical of the Bible and organized religion. “Moral Issues” analyzes Twain’s views on lying and animal rights. “Literary Devices” explains his usage of humor, satire, and irony. Finally, “Comparison to Other Philosophers” looks at Twain in relation to Diogenes, the Epicureans, Nietzsche, Hume, and Edward Bullough. All the essays are thoughtful and clearly written, and the collection is ideal for nonspecialists…. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers.

• Introduction, Alan H. GoldmanPart I: Morality in Huckleberry FinnChapter 1: The Conscience of Huckleberry Finn, Jonathan BennettChapter 2: Huckleberry Finn and Moral Motivation, Alan H. GoldmanChapter 3: Sympathy, Principles, and Conscience: Getting to the Heart of Huck Finn’s Moral Praiseworthiness, Robert FudgeChapter 4: Huckleberry Finn’s Struggle between Sympathy and Moral Principle Reconsidered, Michael LyonsChapter 5: Twain’s Last Laugh, Kristina GehrmanPart II: Twain on ReligionChapter 6: The Gospel According to Mark (Twain), Craig VaseyChapter 7: Mark Twain and the Problem of Evil: The Mysterious Stranger, Letters from the Earth, and The Diaries of Adam and Eve, James M. McLachlanPart III: Moral IssuesChapter 8: The Noble Art of Lying, James Edwin MahonChapter 9: Twain’s Critique of Human Exceptionalism: “The Descent of Man” and the Anti-Vivisection Movement, Emily E. VanDettePart IV: Literary DevicesChapter 10: Mark Twain’s Serious Humor and that Peculiar Institution: Christianity, Chris A. KramerChapter 11: Socratic Irony in Twain’s Skeptical Religious Jeremiads, Dale JacquettePart V: Comparison to Other PhilosophersChapter 12: The American Diogenes: Mark Twain’s Sacred Profanity, Brian Earl JohnsonChapter 13: An Epicurean Consideration of Superstitions in Mark Twain and in the Good Life, Jennifer BakerChapter 14: Moral Value and Moral Psychology in Twain’s “Carnival of Crime”, Frank BoardmanChapter 15: Making the Heart Grow Fonder: Twain, Psychical Distance, and Aesthetic Experience, Jeffrey DueckNotesIndexAbout the Editor and Contributors