Table of Contents
Bob Dylan and Philosophy
Popular Culture and Philosophy
VOLUME 1
Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (2000) Edited by William Irwin
VOLUME 2
The Simpsons and Philosophy: The Doh! of Homer (2001) Edited by William Irwin, Mark T. Conard, and Aeon J. Skoble
VOLUME 3
The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (2002) Edited by William Irwin
VOLUME 4
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale (2003) Edited by James B. South
VOLUME 5
The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All (2003) Edited by Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson
VOLUME 6
Baseball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Batters Box (2004) Edited by Eric Bronson
VOLUME 7
The Sopranos and Philosophy: I Kill Therefore I Am (2004) Edited by Richard Greene and Peter Vernezze
VOLUME 8
Woody Allen and Philosophy: You Mean My Whole Fallacy Is Wrong? (2004) Edited by Mark T. Conard and Aeon J. Skoble
VOLUME 9
Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts (2004) Edited by David Baggett and Shawn E. Klein
VOLUME 10
Mel Gibsons Passion and Philosophy: The Cross, the Questions, the Controversy (2004) Edited by Jorge J.E. Gracia
VOLUME 11
More Matrix and Philosophy: Revolutions and Reloaded Decoded (2005) Edited by William Irwin
VOLUME 12
Star Wars and Philosophy: More Powerful than You Can Possibly Imagine (2005) Edited by Jason T. Eberl and Kevin S. Decker
VOLUME 13
Superheroes and Philosophy: Truth, Justice, and the Socratic Way (2005) Edited by Tom Morris and Matt Morris
VOLUME 14
The Atkins Diet and Philosophy: Chewing the Fat with Kant and Nietzsche (2005) Edited by Lisa Heldke, Kerri Mommer, and Cynthia Pineo
VOLUME 15
The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy: The Lion, the Witch, and the Worldview (2005) Edited by Gregory Bassham and Jerry L. Walls
VOLUME 16
Hip Hop and Philosophy: Rhyme 2 Reason (2005) Edited by Derrick Darby and Tommie Shelby
VOLUME 17
Bob Dylan and Philosophy: Its Alright, Ma (Im Only Thinking) (2006) Edited by Peter Vernezze and Carl J. Porter
IN PREPARATION:
Harley-Davidson and Philosophy: Full-Throttle Aristotle (2006) Edited by Bernard E. Rollin, Carolyn M. Gray, Kerri Mommer, and Cynthia Pineo
Monty Python and Philosophy: Nudge Nudge, Think Think (2006) Edited by Gary L. Hardcastle and George A. Reisch
Poker and Philosophy (2006) Edited by Eric Bronson
U2 and Philosophy (2006) Edited by Mark Wrathall
To Bob Dylan
Liner Notes
One standard that we judge artists by today is their success in appealing to our emotional naturetheir ability to move us to tears or laughter, induce hope or alienation, evoke pity or rage. Painters, writers, actors, and musicians are rarely evaluated in terms of whether or not they challenge our minds. But clearly one aspect of the appeal of an artist like Bob Dylan is precisely this, his capacity to engage our intellectual nature, to speak to that part of ourselves Emerson (who was very well read, its well known) dubbed Man Thinking.
Granted, its not an aptitude that currently holds much sway. In this age of Oprah, we accept as dogma both that it is not possible to feel too deeply and that it is dangerous to think too much. What is not, regrettably, reflected upon as frequently are the personal and national drawbacks of taking no time to think.
When you gonna wake up!?
Fortunately, attitudes are a-changin. Perhaps it began a few years ago when an odd book crept its way up the bestseller list, Sophies World, a novel about the history of philosophy (what next, you might ask, an opera about the development of pipe fitting?). Books like Socrates Caf, Plato, not Prozac and The Consolations of Philosophy, aimed at the general reading public, have had great success. No small part in this movement was played by Open Courts Popular Culture and Philosophy series, examining shows like The Simpsons and The Sopranos, movies like The Matrix and Lord of the Rings, and even taking a swing at the national pastime, in order to explicate their obvious philosophical elements to a popular audience. As if to enshrine the new status of the discipline, U.S. News and World Report recently named taking up philosophy (even counterfeit philosophies?) as one of the fifty things to do to improve your life.
With the re-emergence of an interest in the life of the mind, its time for an assessment of this aspect of Bob Dylans work. Even a casual glance at the songs will reveal that Dylans lyrics range over the same sorts of issues of value and meaning that are the proper purview of philosophy. To cite just a few examples: Tunes like Who Killed Davey Moore? and The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, in their attempt to define the terms good and bad (quite clearly, no doubt, somehow) bring into play ethical notions of responsibility and justice; the numerous protest songs such as Masters of War concern themselves, as does political philosophy, with thinking bout the government; many of the lyrics from the Christian period albums explicitly address issues of faith and salvation familiar to philosophers of religion, who often wonder just whose side God is on; and from Desolation Row to Its Not Dark Yet the topic of whether every moment of existence seems like some dirty trick, dealt with by existentialism, finds ample expression. Finally, lets not forget that not only the princess and the prince, but also Aristotle, Heidegger, and a few other philosophers, discuss whats real and what is not.
This does not, of course, mean that Bob Dylan is a philosopher, even if the professors do like his looks. The title, after all, is Bob Dylan and Philosophy. It suggests at most a relationship between the two, and not necessarily one of identity. As with the other volumes in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series, all that is asserted is that the focus of the workbe it the Simpsons, the Sopranos, or the Matrixserves as a jumping off point for a discussion of philosophical issues, and that the exploration of these philosophical issues enriches our understanding of the subject. That Dylan raises topics of philosophical interest is something evident to even the most casual Dylan fan (is there such a thing?), and if you have any doubt, simply skim the table of contents.
While the essays are not without a consideration of topics other than the lyrics, the attempt to link the songs to a twenty-five hundred year old history of rational argumentation has compelled us to focus this book on an analysis of Dylans words. For those interested, there are several excellent treatments of the musical component of Dylans work, for example, Paul Williamss masterful three-volume Bob Dylan: Performing Artist. By contrast, this is the first book to treat Dylans work solely from a philosophical standpoint; it is the
