Flann O’Brien’s The Third Policeman (The Philosophers’ Book Club)

‘What you think is the point is not the point at all but only the beginning of the sharpness.’ The Philosopher’s Book Club is back! We discuss Flann O’Brien’s The Third Policeman, a novel about the consequences of a murder occasioned by the narrator’s desire to publish a book about his favourite philosopher, de Selby. From bicycles and wooden legs to dualism and the nature of reality, O’Brien’s absurdist tale contains more philosophical themes (and footnotes) than you can shake a stick at. Philosophical and literary minds come together to answer the question, ‘Is it about a bicycle?’. Speakers * Paul Fagan, Editor, The Parish Review: Journal of Flann O’Brien Studies & Founder, The International Flann O’Brien Society * Clare Moriarty, Fellow, Forum for Philosophy & IRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Trinity College Dublin * David Papineau, Professor of Philosophy, CUNY Recorded on 25 February 2020 at the LSE More information: