Metaphysics isn't ordinarily much of a laughing matter. But in the hands of acclaimed comedy writer and scholar Eric Kaplan, a search for the truth about old St. Nick becomes a deeply insightful, laugh-out-loud discussion of the way some things exist but may not really be there—just like Santa and his reindeer.
Even after we outgrow the jolly fellow, the essential paradox persists: There are some things we dearly believe in that are not universally acknowledged as real. In Does Santa Exist?, Kaplan shows how philosophy giants Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein strove to smooth over this uncomfortable meeting of the real and unreal—and failed. From there he turns to mysticism's attempts to resolve such paradoxes. Finally, he alights on comedy as the ultimate resolution of the fundamental paradoxes of life.
Kaplan delves deeper into what this means, from how our physical brains work to his own personal confrontations with life's biggest questions: If we're all going to die, what's the point of anything? What is a perfect moment? What can you say about God? Or Santa?
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“To bridge the paradoxes of logic
and mysticism, Kaplan suggests comedy, at least ‘good’ comedy, as a way to ‘approach
the unavoidable contradictions in our life.’ (After all, Santa is a jolly
fellow.) As he teases out this synthesis, the author’s argument is both
thought-provoking and, at times, less than convincing, but he proves to be an
engaging thinker whose musings are always provocative. Kaplan’s investigation
into the ontology of Santa Claus is erudite, readable, and exceedingly funny.”
—
Kirkus Reviews