Neil Young and Philosophy

Douglas L. Berger is professor of global and comparative philosophy and director of the Center for Intercultural Philosophy at Leiden University.

“Neil Young is a musical artist who has long merited a critical review like this one. The eclectic series of chapters in this book take on Young as a musician and as a man who was simultaneously of his time and able to step outside of it to studious effect in order to produce great music. Philosophers like Wittgenstein, Nietzsche, Mill, Robert Heilbroner and Daniel Dennett are touchstones in the assembly of a scholarly work that assesses Young’s childhood, his career, his family and relationships, his conflicts with the music business and his attitudes toward Native Americans. This book is a fabulous achievement.”—David Simonelli, Youngstown State University

• ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionPrimal and Spontaneous: Neil Young’s Aesthetics of AuthenticityMichael ForestNeil Young and CreativityDouglas L. BergerLawsuits, Master Narratives, and Artistic CommodificationMatthew W. Mitchell Extended Mind and the Music of TransBruce UmbaughNeil Young: Lover of Sun, Moon—and CarsDouglas R. AndersonNeil Young and American Indians: Politics, Lyrics and Authenticity.Lee HesterMemory and Relationships in the Work and Music of Neil YoungJared SizerImages of Women in the Music and Life of Neil YoungErin McKennaNeil Young’s Search for the Simple LifeAndrew Watson and Simon RichesListening with Neil Young’s Vulnerable Voice and the Ethics of Care.Mike JostedtContributors