Hannibal Lecter and Philosophy: The Heart of the Matter

by Joseph Westfall (Editor)

Overview

Hannibal Lecter, the subject of best-selling novels, movies, and the acclaimed TV series Hannibal, is one of pop culture's most compelling characters. In Hannibal Lecter and Philosophy, 16 philosophers come at Hannibal the way he comes at his victims — from unexpected angles and with plenty of surprises.

What does the relationship between Hannibal and those who know him — particularly FBI investigator Will Graham — tell us about the nature of friendship? Does Hannibal confer benefits on society by eliminating people who don’t live up to his high aesthetic standards? Can upsetting experiences in early childhood turn you into a serial killer? Why are we enthralled by someone who exercises god-like control over situations and people? Does it make any difference morally that a killer eats his victims? Can a murder be a work of art?

Several chapters look at the mind of this proud and accomplished killer, psychiatrist, and gourmet cook. Is he a sociopath or a psychopath, or are these the same? Is he lacking in empathy? Does his moral blindness give him compensating abilities, the way literally blind people gain heightened senses? Does it harm us that we are drawn into Hannibal’s world by identifying with him?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780812699043
Publisher:	Open Court Publishing Company
Publication date:	01/12/2016
Series:	Popular Culture and Philosophy , #96
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	642,443
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Joseph Westfall is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Houston, Downtown, and the author of The Kierkegaardian Author. He lives in Houston.

Table of Contents

Apéritif

Hello, Dr. Lecter Joseph Westfall xi

I Having an Old Friend for Dinner 1

Amuse-Bouche

1 Cosmopolitan Cannibal Mandy-Suzanne Wong 3

Hors-d'oeuvre

2 I, Cannibal Joseph Westfall 15

Potage

3 What's So Bad about Eating People? Benjamin Mccraw 31

II What Does He Do, This Man You Seek? 43

Oeufs

4 Acts of God Trip McCrossin 45

Farineux

5 Office Hours Are for Patients Daniel Maixoy 59

Poisson

6 The Psychiatrist as Sociopathic God Derrick L. Hassert 71

III They Say He's a Psychopath 83

Entrée

7 Psychopaths, Outlaws, and Us Richard McClelland 85

Sorbet

8 Consuming Homicidal Art John McAteer 99

Relevé

9 Not Knowing Serial Killers with Hannibal Leckto Jason Davis 109

IV I Gave You a Rare Gift, but You Didn't Want It 121

Rôti

10 The Light from Friendship Andrew Pavelich 123

Légumes

11 A Rare Gift Selena K.L. Breikss 135

Salades

12 A Little Empathy for Hannibal Is a Dangerous Thing Tim Jones 147

V It's Beautiful in Its Own Way, Giving Voice to the Unmentionable 159

Buffet Froid

13 An Aesthete par Excellence Jason Holt 161

Entremet de sûcre

14 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Dinner Party Joseph Westfall 171

Savoureux

15 The Art of Killing Andrea Zanin 185

VI The Beauty and Art and Horror of Everything This World Has to Offer 197

Fromage

16 Empathy for the Devil Dan Shaw 199

Dessert

17 The Beguiling Horror of Hannibal Lecter William J. Devlin Shai Biderman 217

Café

18 Doctor, Heal Thyself Richard McClelland 229

Ingredients 243

The Hannibal Lecter Canon 243

Works about Hannibal Lecter 244

Other Resources 245

The Psychopaths 251

Index 257