The Princess Bride is the 1987 satirical adventure movie that had to wait for the Internet and DVDs to become the most quoted of all cult classics. The Princess Bride and Philosophy is for all those who have wondered about the true meaning of Inconceivable!," why the name Roberts" uniquely inspires fear, and whether it's truly a miracle to restore life to someone who is dead, but not necessarily completely dead.
The Princess Bride is filled with people trying to persuade each other of various things, and invites us to examine the best methods of persuasion. It's filled with promises, some kept and some broken, and cries out for philosophical analysis of what makes a promise and why promises should be kept. It's filled with beliefs which go beyond the evidence, and philosophy can help us to decide when such beliefs can be justified. It's filled with political violence, both by and against the recognized government, and therefore raises all the issues of political philosophy.
Westley, Buttercup, Prince Humperdinck, Inigo Montoya, the giant Fezzik, and the Sicilian Vizzini keep on re-appearing in these pages, as examples of philosophical ideas. Is it right for Montoya to kill the six-fingered man, even though there is no money in the revenge business? What's the best way to deceive someone who knows you're trying to deceive him? Are good manners a kind of moral virtue? Could the actions of the masked man in black truly be inconceivable even though real? What does ethics have to say about Miracle Max's pricing policy? How many shades of meaning can be conveyed by As You Wish"?
- New eBook additions
- New eBook additions for Kids
- New eBook additions for Teens
- Most popular
- Most popular for Kids
- Most popular for Teens
- Available Now
- Available Now for Kids
- Available Now for Teens
- Book Club 2025-2026: Guaranteed Available : Karapu Pukapuka: Wātea Mārika 2025-2026
- Classic Literature Book Club : Guaranteed Available
- Travel Club 2025-2026: Guaranteed Available
- Reese's Pieces
- See all ebooks collections
- New eAudiobook additions
- AudioBook Club 2026-2027: Guaranteed Available
- New eAudiobook additions for Kids
- New eAudiobook additions for Teens
- Most popular eAudiobooks
- Classic "Reads" AudioBook Club : Guaranteed Available
- Most popular eAudiobooks for Kids
- Most popular eAudiobooks for Teens
- Available now on eAudio
- Available Now on eAudio for Kids
- Available Now on eAudio for Teens
- See all audiobooks collections
- Ngā pukapuka i te reo Māori : Books in the Māori Language
- Tusi Samoa : Samoan Books
- Ngaahi tohi ʻi he lea faka-Tongá : Books in Tongan
- 中文书籍 Zhōngwén shūjí : Books in Chinese
- 中文杂志 Zhōngwén zázhì : Magazines in Chinese
- മലയാളത്തിലെ പുസ്തകങ്ങൾ : Books in Malayalam
- Cărți în limba română: Books in Romanian
- Книги українською мовою : Books in Ukrainian
- Książki w języku polskim : Books in Polish
- किताबें हिंदी में Kitaaben hindee mein : Books in Hindi
- Buugaag af-soomaali ku qoran : Books in Somali
- Livres en français : Books in French
- Magazines en français : Magazines in French
- See all language collections collections