William Irwin - The Big Lebowski and Philosophy: Keeping Your Mind Limber with Abiding Wisdom

CONTENTS

The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series

Series Editor: William Irwin

Copyright 2012 by John Wiley and Sons. All rights reserved

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

Chapter opener design by Forty-Five Degree Design LLC

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some content that appears in standard print versions of this book may not be available in other formats. For more information about Wiley products, visit us at www.wiley.com .

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

ISBN 978-1-118-07456-5 (paper); ISBN 978-1-118-18097-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-18098-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-18099-0 (ebk)

To Richard Fleming, who makes me laugh, as well as think

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to Some Real Achievers

I offer my thanks to Bill Irwin, whose guidance, editing skill, and friendship made this a better volume than it would have been in my hands alone. I dont know if its proper to call Bill my hero (cause whats a hero, anyway?), but I do recognize that Bills talent and hard work in establishing and cultivating this series of books on philosophy and pop culture have promoted philosophical thinking across the world in deeply important ways. Thanks, too, of course, to the editors and the staff at Wiley for their vision in supporting the series. I am especially grateful to associate editor Constance Santisteban for her good counsel and to Kimberly Monroe-Hill and Patricia Waldygo for their proofreading and editing skills.

I have been in this business for some time now but have never before worked with a group of writers as thoughtful, generous, and collegial as those appearing in this volume. Its been my privilege to help bring their thinking to press. I thank my spouse, Cate Fosl, for her patience and support through the long days of editing and reading that produced these essays, and I remain always grateful to my sons, Isaac and Elijah, for the pleasant hours weve shared screening this film and riffing off the Dude and his cohort. I am grateful to Will Russell, Scott Shuffit, and the other organizers of Lebowski Fest for stoking the spirit of the Dude and thereby rendering ours less a world of pain, as well as for helping to keep my beloved Louisville weird. Transylvania University and my students have been indispensable in establishing the necessary conditions for the possibility of philosophy in my life. My gratitude to them is unspeakable. Of course, thanks finally go to the Coen brothers for their sharp and thoughtful filmmaking, as well as to the cast of The Big Lebowski for absolutely unforgettable performances.

INTRODUCTION

Sometimes Theres a Film

What makes a book or a film philosophical? Is it being prepared to argue arcane conceptual minutiae? Whatever the cost? No matter how many people it bores? Is that what makes a philosophical text?

Well, its certainly not a pair of testicles.

The editors and the contributors to this volume are committed to the idea that topics of philosophical interest can be found just about anywhere. Sure, in ancient Athens and contemporary universities but also in homes and bars, on iPods, and in movie theaters. When it comes to questions of truth, goodness, beauty, reality, and meaning, frankly, its hard to find a time n a place they dont apply.