Santa Lives!: Five Conclusive Arguments for the Existence of Santa Claus

An incredibly witty philosophical disertation on the existence of Santa Claus (perfect for anyone who had to read a philosophy textbook ). Full of absurdities, grandeoise vocabulary, and clever ironies, this books is a deliciously intelligently idiotic (my sense of humor!), written by an over-educated, big kid that sees some of the essential truths and oddeties of Christmas. So funny, so clever. A great read for the season. Grade: A

Using some of the same "arguments" that theologians use to argue for the existence of God, Weiner attempts to prove that "Santa lives!" The back cover makes it painfully obvious that this is meant as satire when Weiner states that his investigation covers "the existence of napkins, the differences between birthday cake and fruitcake, and whether Santa is American." For the record, Weiner is unable to determine Santa's nationality, but offers this tantalizing passage: "A loud, fat man who barges into people's homes to flaunt his welath by foisting upon them an array of usually tacky, unnecessary commercial products--how can Santa Claus NOT be an American?" Highly recommended for those holiday fans with a sense of humor.

Ellis Weiner is a former writer for the National Lampoon and Spy Magazine. It shows. This book is a stream of silly consciousness. Seemingly lightweight, it stuns you with the intellect behind it. Footnotes have footnotes. Weiner fights with his editor in various notes. It's clever and it is meant to amuse. Intolerant and humorless readers need not apply. If you don't get the jokes then it's probably because they are all about you. Get over it!

I bought this book on a whim and LOVED it. I've laughed out loud over and over--and I'm a serious New York City lawyer! It's not for children in that the language and thoughts are somewhat sophisticated and complex (in a funny way). Besides being hilarious, it's sweet, upbeat and comforting. I THINK it's fairly non-offensive, unless you are offended by the idea that Christmas is about Santa Claus more than Jesus or his teachings, an idea which is jokingly discussed, but to some people that's no joking matter. I loved the book and am ordering it for many friends and family.

As an amateur santalogist, I enthusiastically devoured the latest contribution to the field by Ellis Weiner. "Santa Lives!" is a humorous faux-philosophical exposition arguing for the existence of the Man with the Bag. Weiner employs five different epistemological angles: Ontological, Causal, Teleological, Experiential, and an especially weak attempt at using Morality based upon a strict construction of the canon laid out by Gillespie & Coots in "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." The most compelling argument for Santa's existence is simply Ockham's Razor: All around the world, similarly packaged gifts simultaneously appear under similarly decorated trees in millions of homes. It is much more parsimonious to conclude that one man carries this out than to hypothesize either coincidence or conspiracy. The author also provides solid evidence that Santa is a Swiss hermaphrodite and that Xmas cannot be a celebration of anyone's birth - Savior or not - because fruitcake is not (and cannot be) birthday cake. Fascinating. The satire of real thought presented here is hilarious and worth the read at twice the price. I also found the ideas explored and methods employed in "Santa Lives!" to he highly relevant to other philosophical pursuits. For example, it is precisely the same logic that Weiner uses to prove the existence of Saint Nick that is engaged to refute evolution by natural selection. Oh, when will philosophers begin using their powers for Good?!