The book that's the topic of this review is Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery, edited by William Irwin and revealed 2007. It is part of a growing genre of books that examine such popular culture icons as The Matrix movies, the Lord of the Rings series, The Simpsons tv show, and others through the lens of philosophy. The book is made up of a series of twenty short essays examining the band Metallica, the interpersonal relationships between the members, and therefore the lyrics within the context of a number of the main concepts of Western Philosophy.
The main purpose of the book, and therefore the series as an entire, is to introduce the typical reader to the "great ideas" of philosophy whereas providing a a lot of entertaining venue. Philosophy is terribly usually studied only in places of upper learning and solely grudgingly by its students, who must force themselves to delve deeply into the reading material and gain what insight they can. Information of this kind does not come back easily, and attempting to answer the foremost profound questions of existence and being human needs difficult thinking. Therefore, the editors of the series obtain to show that finding out philosophy can be a lot of entertaining, though, and "thinking deeply regarding TV, movies, and music does not make you a 'complete idiot.' Of course it would possibly build you a thinker, someone who believes the unexamined life isn't value living and the unexamined cartoon is not worth watching." Metallica, collectively of the most successful bands in history, gets the philosophical treatment during this installment within the series.
As a student who took various philosophy courses in faculty and who has scan another installment in this series (The Simpsons and Philosophy), these types of books have continuously been intriguing. The question begs to be asked: is that the book written for philosophers fascinated by Metallica, or Metallica fans inquisitive about philosophy, or is there a difference? It's unlikely that many Metallica fans can notice themselves within the Philosophy section of their local Borders unless they are fascinated by philosophy. However it is equally troublesome to imagine the stereotypical college professor selecting up a book titled Metallica and Philosophy. However, the actual fact that over twenty authors contributed to the present series of essays shows that there are a number of professors, authors, and students of philosophy who additionally share an appreciation for the biggest heavy metal band of all time. The themes that are found in the book conjointly show that the authors knew the lyrics and history of Metallica well enough to supply valuable insights on the philosophical context of Metallica's work.
With twenty essays contained within the book, it is impossible to review every theme presented. The essays serve as introductions to the great queries of philosophy, and use James Hetfield's lyrics as the best supply material. Issues like insanity and capital punishment are examined through varied songs, furthermore as the band's relationship with religion and the solution to the meaning of life. Quite serious topics, no doubt. But, each essay is written with the final goal or readability in mind. Whereas the themes often examine the abstract, the authors use frequent examples, like quoting lyrics, or use anecdotal examples from the history of the band. This makes the ideas abundant easier to understand and also the essays do not get caught up in long period of exposition on esoteric matters. Many of the essays could are slightly longer for a fuller discussion of the issues, however the length of every was sufficient to lift a topic, examine it in the context of philosophical thought, and lay out some conclusions or areas for more research.
Besides analyzing lyrics, though, a number of the essays additionally examine the context and history of Metallica, and attempt to answer a number of the a lot of contentious points raised over the years. These embrace the problem of the band "selling out," their image of nonconformity with ancient rock roles, and Lars' battle with internet file-sharing web site Napster. Did Metallica sell out when they released an alternate hard rock album (LOAD)? What role did nonconformity play in shaping Metallica and why will they not come back to it ever again? Was Napster about money or one thing more, and was Lars' argument basically correct? The answers are examined well within the book, and they will not be what the reader expects. In concert of the authors writes, "Hey, philosophers are purported to be objective -- I do not prefer it anymore than you are doing!" But these events and themes are those most usually discussed when speaking of Metallica, who are accused of selling out since their second album in 1984. The old arguments of either side are given new teeth when examined through the context of philosophy.
The book may be a a welcome introduction or reintroduction for Metallica fans to philosophical ideas and thinking. For the serious thinker who has enjoyed time reading the first works cited in the essays, it may be just an off-the-cuff outline of the themes during a heavy metal context. But for Metallica fans who want to know more concerning the motivations of the band and acquire within their heads, as well as understand the explanations that they find themselves drawn to Metallica and significant metal generally, Metallica and Philosophy provides a perfect overview of those most important concepts.
Author Resource:
Riley Jones has been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in Philosophy, you can also check out his latest website about:
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