Irwin (philosophy, King's College, PA) and his co-editors present 18 essays that look at the philosophical implications and underpinnings of the popular animated satire The Simpsons . Contributed by academics specializing in philosophy and literature, the essays explore the moral universe of the five major characters in the Simpsons (including a reflection on baby Maggie's silence as a protest against stifling society) and use situations on episodes of the show to look at a variety of philosophical questions, including the nature of hypocrisy, the sexual politics of the show, the example of neighborly love skewered by the depiction of Ned Flanders, and a Marxist critique of the show as being an opiate that distracts us from the true realities of capitalist evils. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)