Authors discuss philosophy of death

Authors Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein spoke about philosophy and philosophical jokes Saturday as part of a promotion tour for their third and newest book, "Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates:  Using Philosophy and Jokes to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife and Everything in Between," which was published earlier in the week.
The pair also came to Snell Library two years ago as part of a lecture tour between their second and third books.
"They were quite popular and people seemed to really enjoy their talk in February 2008, and they talked about how they were going to write a third book," said Emily Sabo, advancement marketing and events assistant for Snell Library. "When we saw they were on tour again this fall ... we thought it would be a great fit to welcome them back."
Cathcart and Klein came during Parents Weekend, and though the event was in the largest venue in Snell Library, room 70, people were standing in the back of the room.
"We never know how many people will attend," said Maria Carpenter, senior development officer for Snell Library. "We were delighted there was a space challenge, but of course I wish we were able to have a larger presentation space."
Despite the challenges, Carpenter said the performance was as good as last year's and slipped into the room to sit against a wall for the majority of the presentation.
"They were great both times, they're fantastic, equally fantastic," she said.
Cathcart and Klein told philosophy jokes from their newest book, ranging from psychologist Sigmund Freud to religions' perspectives on death.
One of the jokes regarding religion was about a guy about to jump off a bridge, and another man trying to stop him. The two begin talking, and find out both are from the Baptist Church of God Reformed, but from two different reformations. One man pushes the other off of the bridge.
"Death is so scary to us that we need some way of relieving that anxiety and getting in touch with something else that distracts us or solves a problem for us in some way," Cathcart said after the joke. "Plus, it's hard to resist buying into a cultural delusion because everybody around you is buying into the same delusion."
The jokes continued and some were long, somewhat complicated stories such as Saint Peter choosing two of three men to enter heaven.
Others were shorter and more concise, like a woman who goes to talk to a psychiatrist about her husband who thinks he is a refrigerator, but says the most annoying part is when he sleeps with his mouth open, the light stays on, suggesting she too believes he’s a refrigerator.
"I was excited to come and I'm a philosophy major, but I had to stand in the back the whole time," sophomore Bobby Ruggiero,said. "I really enjoyed it, but the room was crowded and hot as hell."
Carpenter and Sabo said they were pleased with how the event turned out.
"We knew they were hilarious and popular, and I knew their style and knew they would be a rousing success," Carpenter said.