Table Of Content

ffttoocc..iinndddd vviiiiii 0011//0022//1122 1111::1100 AAMM G A M E O F T H R O N E S A N D P H I L O S O P H Y ffffiirrss..iinndddd ii 0011//0022//1122 88::0044 AAMM The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series Series Editor: William Irwin 24 and Philosophy House and Philosophy Edited by Jennifer Hart Weed, Edited by Henry Jacoby Richard Davis, and Ronald Weed The Hunger Games and Philosophy 30 Rock and Philosophy Edited by George Dunn and Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski Nicolas Michaud Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy Inception and Philosophy Edited by Richard Brian Davis Edited by David Johnson Arrested Development and Iron Man and Philosophy Philosophy Edited by Mark D. White Edited by Kristopher Phillips and Mad Men and Philosophy J. Jeremy Wisnewski Edited by James South and The Avengers and Philosophy Rod Carveth Edited by Mark D. White Metallica and Philosophy Batman and Philosophy Edited by William Irwin Edited by Mark D. White The Offi ce and Philosophy and Robert Arp Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy South Park and Philosophy Edited by Jason T. Eberl Edited by Robert Arp The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy Spider-Man and Philosophy Edited by Dean Kowalski Edited by Jonathan Sanford The Big Lebowski and Philosophy Terminator and Philosophy Edited by Peter S. Fosl Edited by Richard Brown and The Daily Show and Philosophy Kevin Decker Edited by Jason Holt True Blood and Philosophy Family Guy and Philosophy Edited by George Dunn and Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski Rebecca Housel Final Fantasy and Philosophy Twilight and Philosophy Edited by Jason P. Blahuta and Edited by Rebecca Housel and Michel S. Beaulieu J. Jeremy Wisnewski Game of Thrones and Philosophy The Ultimate Harry Potter Edited by Henry Jacoby and Philosophy Edited by Gregory Bassham The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Philosophy The Ultimate Lost and Philosophy Edited by Eric Bronson Edited by Sharon Kaye Green Lantern and Philosophy Watchmen and Philosophy Edited by Jane Dryden and Edited by Mark D. White Mark D. White X-Men and Philosophy Heroes and Philosophy Edited by Rebecca Housel and Edited by David Kyle Johnson J. Jeremy Wisnewski ffffiirrss..iinndddd iiii 0011//0022//1122 88::0044 AAMM G A M E O F T H R O N E S A N D P H I L O S O P H Y LO G I C C UTS D E E P E R THAN SWO R D S Edited by Henry Jacoby John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ffffiirrss..iinndddd iiiiii 0011//0022//1122 88::0044 AAMM This book is printed on acid-free paper. (cid:2) Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or autho- rization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley .com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifi cally disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fi tness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materi- als. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profi t or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some content that appears in standard print versions of this book may not be available in other formats. For more information about Wiley products, visit us at www.wiley.com. ISBN 978-1-118-16199-9 (paper); ISBN 978-1-118-20605-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-20606-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-20607-2 (ebk) Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ffffiirrss..iinndddd iivv 0011//0022//1122 88::0044 AAMM CONTENTS FOREWORD by Elio M. Garcia and Linda Antonsson ix A RAVEN FROM HOUSE WILEY: Editor’s Note on Spoilers xiii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: How I Was Spared from Having to Take the Black xv Introduction: So What if Winter Is Coming? 1 Henry Jacoby PART ONE “YOU WIN OR YOU DIE” 1 Maester Hobbes Goes to King’s Landing 5 Greg Littmann 2 It Is a Great Crime to Lie to a King 19 Don Fallis 3 Playing the Game of Thrones: Some Lessons from Machiavelli 33 Marcus Schulzke 4 The War in Westeros and Just War Theory 49 Richard H. Corrigan v ffttoocc..iinndddd vv 0011//0022//1122 1111::1100 AAMM vi CONTENTS PART TWO “THE THINGS I DO FOR LOVE” 5 Winter Is Coming!: The Bleak Quest for Happiness in Westeros 63 Eric J. Silverman 6 The Death of Lord Stark: The Perils of Idealism 75 David Hahn 7 Lord Eddard Stark, Queen Cersei Lannister: Moral Judgments from Different Perspectives 87 Albert J. J. Anglberger and Alexander Hieke 8 It Would Be a Mercy: Choosing Life or Death in Westeros and Beyond the Narrow Sea 99 Matthew Tedesco PART THREE “WINTER IS COMING” 9 Wargs, Wights, and Wolves That Are Dire: Mind and Metaphysics, Westeros Style 115 Henry Jacoby 10 Magic, Science, and Metaphysics in A Game of Thrones 129 Edward Cox 11 “You Know Nothing, Jon Snow”: Epistemic Humility Beyond the Wall 142 Abraham P. Schwab 12 “Why Is the World So Full of Injustice?”: Gods and the Problem of Evil 154 Jaron Daniël Schoone ffttoocc..iinndddd vvii 0011//0022//1122 1111::1100 AAMM CONTENTS vii PART FOUR “THE MAN WHO PASSES THE SENTENCE SHOULD SWING THE SWORD” 13 Why Should Joffrey Be Moral If He Has Already Won the Game of Thrones? 169 Daniel Haas 14 The Moral Luck of Tyrion Lannister 183 Christopher Robichaud 15 Dany’s Encounter with the Wild: Cultural Relativism in A Game of Thrones 194 Katherine Tullman 16 “There Are No True Knights”: The Injustice of Chivalry 205 Stacey Goguen PART FIVE “STICK THEM WITH THE POINTY END” 17 Fate, Freedom, and Authenticity in A Game of Thrones 223 Michael J. Sigrist 18 No One Dances the Water Dance 236 Henry Jacoby 19 The Things I Do For Love: Sex, Lies, and Game Theory 250 R. Shannon Duval 20 Stop the Madness!: Knowledge, Power, and Insanity in A Song of Ice and Fire 264 Chad William Timm CONTRIBUTORS: The Learned Lords and Ladies from beyond the Seven Kingdoms 279 INDEX: From the Archives at Oldtown 287 ffttoocc..iinndddd vviiii 0011//0022//1122 1111::1100 AAMM ffttoocc..iinndddd vviiiiii 0011//0022//1122 1111::1100 AAMM