<DIV>The <I>Onion,</I> with its unique brand of deadpan satirical humor, has become a familiar part of the American scene. The newspaper has a readership of over a million, and it reaches millions more with its spin-off books and The Onion News Network. The <I>Onion</I> has shown us that standard ways of thinking about the news have their grotesque and silly side, and this invites philosophical examination. Twenty-one philosophers were commissioned to figure out just what makes the <I>Onion</I> so truthful and insightful. Are the <I>Onion</I> writers truly cynical, or just cynically faking it? Does the <I>Onion</I> really have a serious point of view on religion? On sex? On politics? Who cares what Area Man thinks? If everyone's so dumb, how come so many <I>Onion</I> readers keep on laughing at how dumb they are?</DIV>