Metallica and Philosophy

William Irwin is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at King's College, Pennsylvania. He has edited Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing; The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer (with Mark T. Conard and Aeon J. Skoble); and Critical Thinking: A Student's Introduction (with Gregory Bassham, H. Nardone, and J. Wallace). He is also the author of Intentionalist Interpretation: A Philosophical Explanation and Defense and editor of The Death and Resurrection of the Author.

“The most elucidative dissertation on Metallica ever written. And a kick-ass read to boot!!!” Scott Ian, guitarist for Anthrax“Like philosophy itself, Metallica’s music can scare the uninitiated, who fear their brains will hurt. This book makes both philosophy and Metallica accessible to the curious while deepening the experience of those already in the know.”Theodore Gracyk, author of Rhythm and Noise and Listening to Popular Music “Metallica and Philosophy is, at long last, the book which finally gives everyone’s favorite headbangers due credit for being intelligent, questioning, and even cerebral.”Joel McIver, author of Justice For All: The Truth About Metallica “Not just heavy metal, not just rock n’ roll, not just angst or anger or conceptual analysis, but a monster in a category of its own that shows us something dangerous about ourselves and our post-industrial culture.”Dale Jacquette, Pennsylvania State University "Intellectual snobs and proud low-brows alike may dismiss this as a joke- though obviously not respected academic publishers Blackwell ... as an introduction to some of the major schools of thought, it is no less worthy than popular books like Sophie's World that have also sought to bring philosophy to the mass market."Tommy Udo, Metal Hammer A “provocative study” on one of metal’s greatest bands, this paperback examines the connection between Metallica and highly regarded philosophers like Aristotle and Nietzsche, and “uses themes in Metallica’s work to illuminate topics such as death, metaphysics, epistemology, the mind-body problem, morality, justice and what we owe one another.” Edited by a college professor, chapters include “Alcoholica: When Sweet Amber Becomes The Master Of Puppets,” “To Live and Die: Metallica and The Meaning Of Life” and “Boys Interrupted: The Drama Of Male Bonding In Some Kind Of Monster.”Metal Edge Magazine

• Heroes of the Day: Acknowledgments viiiHit the Lights 1DISC 1 On Through the Never 31 Whisper Things Into My Brain: Metallica, Emotion, and Morality 5Robert Fudge2 This Search Goes On: Christian, Warrior, Buddhist 16William Irwin3 Alcoholica: When Sweet Amber Becomes the Master of Puppets 29Bart Engelen4 Through the Mist and the Madness: Metallica’s Message of Nonconformity, Individuality, and Truth 41Thomas NysDISC 2 Existensica: Metallica Meets Existentialism 535 The Metal Militia and the Existentialist Club 55J. Jeremy Wisnewski6 The Struggle Within: Hetfield, Kierkegaard, and the Pursuit of Authenticity 65Philip Lindholm 7 Metallica, Nietzsche, and Marx: The Immorality of Morality 74Peter S. Fosl8 Metallica’s Existential Freedom: From We to I and Back Again 85Rachael SotosDISC 3 Living and Dying, Laughing and Crying 999 To Live is to Die: Metallica and the Meaning of Life 101Scott Calef10 Madness in the Mirror of Reason: Metallica and Foucault on Insanity and Confinement 117Brian K. Cameron11 Ride the Lightning: Why Not Execute Killers? 127Thom Brooks12 Living and Dying as One: Suffering and the Ethics of Euthanasia 135Jason T. Eberl13 Fade to Black: Absurdity, Suicide, and the Downward Spiral 148Justin Donhauser and Kimberly A. BlessingDISC 4 Metaphysica, Epistemologica, Metallica 16114 Believer, Deceiver: Metallica, Perception, and Reality 163Robert Arp15 Trapped in Myself: “One” and the Mind-Body Problem 173Joanna Corwin16 Is It Still Metallica? On the Identity of Rock Bands Over Time 183Manuel Bremer and Daniel CohnitzDISC 5 Fans and the Band 19717 Metallica Drops a Load: What Do Bands and Fans Owe Each Other? 199Mark D. White18 The Unsocial Sociability of Humans and Metal Gods 210Niall Scott19 Boys Interrupted: The Drama of Male Bonding in Some Kind of Monster 219Judith Grant20 Justice for All? Metallica’s Argument Against Napster and Internet File Sharing 232Robert A. DelfinoWho’s Who in the Metal Militia 245The Phantom Lord’s Index 250