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There's A 'Simpsons' Philosophy Class And We Want To Sign Up Immediately

There's A 'Simpsons' Philosophy Class And We Want To Sign Up Immediately

It's only £30 as well.

Mel Ramsay

Mel Ramsay

If you've clicked on this article, then I already know that you're cool as fuck. The Simpsons is the best TV show on the planet. Well, seasons 1-10 were. With every new episode, the cartoon seems to be slipping further and further into the lame category. If they carry on, Rick and Morty might edge it and take the top spot.

The University of Glasgow has decided to honour our bright yellow friends with a course that explores The Simpsons' philosophy. Yes, you read that correctly.

Philosophy tutor Dr. John Donaldson told the BBC: "Homer is a very complex character in many ways. He's very gluttonous, he can be quite violent and self-interested. But at the same time he's a character that's hard not to like.

"He's very popular. He has a childlike joy of life, he's open to doing the right thing and he's a faithful family man."

The official course description says: "The Simpsons is one of the modern world's greatest cultural artefacts partly because it is so full of philosophy. Aristotle, Kant, Mill, Camus, and many other great thinkers' ideas are represented in what is arguably the purest of philosophical forms: the comic cartoon. This day event will explore some of philosophy's most inspiring ideas as presented in Matt Groening's monument to the absurdities of human existence."

The course costs £30 and last six hours. You can book them in for January and February now.

This got me thinking, what other lessons have we taken away from The Simpsons? I feel like I'm a better person due to watching those episodes on BBC2 at 6pm sharp.

Here's some of the top lessons we can credit to Groening's genius.

Bart the General

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The plot

This episode originally aired in 1990, and it's one of the first ones I ever saw. It follows the story of Bart sticking up for Lisa when Nelson bullies her for some cupcakes. When Nelson starts on Bart, he accidentally gives the bully a bloody nose. This sparks a chain of events that eventually ends up with Bart enlisting the help of Grandpa Simpson and Herman - the one-armed military guy. Eventually, the trio manage to get all of the victims of Nelson's bullying to come together, and with military-style precision they manage to overpower him. Eventually, they sign a peace treaty and eat cupcakes together.

The last scene is Bart addressing the audience directly. He says:

"Contrary to what you've just seen, war is neither glamorous nor fun. There are no winners, only losers. There are no good wars, with the following exceptions: the American Revolution, World War II, and the Star Wars Trilogy. If you'd like to learn more about war, there's lots of books in your local library, many of them with cool gory pictures."

The lesson

Obvious one here, war isn't cool. The Simpsons team attempted to put this into a format that we, as children, could understand. The bully was the enemy. Eventually, the best outcome for everyone is peace. This same lesson can be applied to bullying - eventually, everyone will turn against you. No one likes a bully, so don't be a dick.

Marge Be Not Proud

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The plot

Bart really wants the new Bonestorm video game. It looks awesome to be fair, despite the fact it's 1995 and the chances are it is actually a bit shit. Long story short, Nelson and Jimbo peer pressure him into stealing the game from the Try-N-Save supermarket. He's caught, banned from the store and the security guard leaves an answerphone message for his parents. Bart rushes home, and changes the tape. Later, the Simpson family head to the Try-N-Save to get a Christmas photo taken. Bart's caught and the family find out that he was busted shoplifting. Marge becomes cold and distant towards Bart as she feels that she's mothered him too much. She leaves him out of family activities. Eventually, Bart comes home with something smuggled under his jacket. Marge thinks he's been stealing again but it turns out to be a nice portrait of him for the family photo he ruined initially. It has a receipt with it that says 'paid in full' and they hug. Aw.

The lesson

Well, there are several lessons going on here. First of all, and the most obvious, has to be in regards to stealing. For those of us who were under ten at the time, it was incredibly important. It shows that okay, Bart may not have gone to prison, but the effect of his wrongdoing was most prominent in the relationship with his mother, Marge. It may have seemed like just a quick, easy way to get what you want. But the problem lies in how your actions effect others.

Another lesson is in terms of peer pressure. Yes, the bullies may have encouraged him to steal - but they didn't have to deal with the consequences. They don't care if you're caught or not.

Finally, it explains what it is like to be a parent. There may be times where you may feel that you have 'mothered' your children a bit too much, but eventually if you have raised them to care about others - they'll do the right thing.

The Last Temptation of Homer

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The plot

In this episode, Mr Burns is forced to hire a female employee by the Department of Labor as part of some changes to the power plant's policies. Enter Mindy Simmons, a red-haired woman who Homer is instantly attracted to. He starts fantasising about her, realises that it's wrong and attempts to keep away from her at all costs.

Sadly, the pair are sent to an energy convention in Capital City where they have to share a hotel room. They are crowned king and queen of energy and win a prize of a romantic meal together. Homer opens a fortune cookie where it says that he will 'find happiness with a new love'. When they get back to the hotel room, they share a kiss and tell each other how they feel. Homer starts to cry and Mindy says that it's up to him. At the end, Homer invites Marge to the hotel and everything's cool.

via GIPHY

The lesson

Even in long-term, committed relationships, there is going to be the occasional crush. It is what you decide to do when these crop up that determines who you are as a person. Homer decides to stay with Marge and they carry on as normal.

Moaning Lisa

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The plot

Lisa has 'the blues'. Everyone notices that she's down, and Springfield Elementary even sends a note home to her parents. She plays on her saxophone, but Homer comes upstairs and shouts at her for distracting him from his game against Bart. She agrees to just practice the notes without blowing into the instrument. She then hears a saxophone playing in the distance, and follows the noise. This is where she meets 'Bleeding Gums' Murphy for the first time. At the same time, Marge is dreaming about when she was little and when she was sad, her mother told her to smile. Lisa and 'Bleeding Gums' Murphy are playing the blues together, and he mentions that he plays at a club called 'The Jazz Hole'. Marge shows up after realising she's missing from her bedroom, and takes her home.

The next day, Marge is dropping Lisa off at school, and tells her to smile and keep her true feelings inside so that she can fit in with the other kids as this is the way to feel happy again. She watches as Lisa fake smiles at school, even when some boys are bullying her. Marge eventually turns the car round, grabs Lisa and apologises. She says that it's okay to be sad, and that she should always be herself. She finishes by saying that she'll always have her family around to help.

The episode finishes with the whole family going to 'The Jazz Hole' to see 'Bleeding Gums' Murphy perform a blues song written by Lisa.

The lesson

Well, this is all about depression. It can affect anyone at any time. But the idea behind this is to not mask your true feelings by pretending to be okay, as you always have people around you that care. In this case, it's family.

And Maggie Makes Three

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The plot

While looking through old family photo albums, Bart and Lisa comment on the fact that there's no pictures of Maggie. Homer eventually tells them the story behind it. Before Maggie was born, he hated working at the Power Plant. By budgeting their lives carefully, he eventually realises that they are financially secure enough for him to leave the Power Plant and take up his dream job - working in the bowling alley. He enjoys his new job a ridiculous amount. So much so, that when Marge realises she's pregnant and that he'll need to get a better paid job - she tries to keep it from him for as long as possible. He eventually finds out, and begs Mr Burns for his old job back. Mr Burns agrees, but fixes a plaque at his workstation that reads: 'Don't Forget, You're Here Forever' as a reminder that he can't ever quit again.

When Marge is giving birth, Homer is less than excited. He looks down and sad, but then Maggie grabs his thumb and he immediately falls in love with her. Bart says that this doesn't explain the lack of photos of Maggie in the photo albums. Homer replied that they're where he needs them the most. Cut to Homer's work station where he's arranged the pictures in such a way that the depressing plaque now reads: 'Do It For Her'.

via GIPHY

The lesson

Jobs can be fun, careers are rewarding, however it's your family and friends that are really important. Your boss isn't going to keep you warm at night. Unless you're in a relationship with your boss, but that's a whole other load of issues I'm not going to even touch. The lesson I always took from this episode is that you work to live, you don't live to work.

via GIPHY

I can't do an article without doing a little hat tip to the saddest moment in cartoon history, though, so I'll leave you with this.

If you know, you know.

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Credit: Fox Broadcasting Company

Actually, wait. The saddest moment of all cartoon history could be this one...


Credit: 20th Century Fox

I'm sad now. Who fancies sharing a tub of Ben and Jerry's?

Featured image credit: Fox Broadcasting Company

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: The Simpsons