Hannibal Lecter and Philosophy: The Heart of the Matter

Description

Hannibal Lecter, the subject of best-selling novels, movies, and the acclaimed TV series Hannibal, is one of pop culture's most compelling characters. In Hannibal Lecter and Philosophy, 16 philosophers come at Hannibal the way he comes at his victims — from unexpected angles and with plenty of surprises. What does the relationship between Hannibal and those who know him — particularly FBI investigator Will Graham — tell us about the nature of friendship? Does Hannibal confer benefits on society by eliminating people who don’t live up to his high aesthetic standards? Can upsetting experiences in early childhood turn you into a serial killer? Why are we enthralled by someone who exercises god-like control over situations and people? Does it make any difference morally that a killer eats his victims? Can a murder be a work of art? Several chapters look at the mind of this proud and accomplished killer, psychiatrist, and gourmet cook. Is he a sociopath or a psychopath, or are these the same? Is he lacking in empathy? Does his moral blindness give him compensating abilities, the way literally blind people gain heightened senses? Does it harm us that we are drawn into Hannibal’s world by identifying with him? Le Menu Aperitif: Hello, Dr. Lecter I. Having an Old Friend for Dinner 1. Cosmopolitan Cannibal 2. I, Cannibal 3. What's So Bad about Eating People? II. What Does He Do, This Man You Seek? 4. Acts of God 5. Office Hours Are for Patients 6. The Psychiatrist as Sociopathic God III. They Say He's a Psychopath 7. Psychopaths, Outlaws, and Us 8. Consuming Homicidal Art 9. Not Knowing Serial Killers with Hannibal Lecktor IV. I Gave You a Rare Gift, but You Didn't Want It 10. The Light from Friendship 11. A Rare Gift. 12. A Little Empathy for Hannibal Is a Dangerous Thing V. It's Beautiful in Its Own Way, Giving Voice to the Unmentionable 13. An Aesthete par Excellence 14. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Dinner Party 15. The Art of Killing VI. The Beauty and Art and Horror of Everything This World Has to Offer 16. Empathy for the Devil 17. The Beguiling Horror of Hannibal Lecter 18. Doctor, Heal Thyself Ingredients The Hannibal Lecter Canon Works about Hannibal Lecter Other Resources The Psychopaths Index.