Pearl Jam and Philosophy

[The] volume has a very specific purpose, that is to investigate, interpret and decipher the contents and philosophical meanings (at various levels: existential, spiritual, ethical, political, purely aesthetic) that are present in the production of the band, combining passion for music with the deepening and rigor of philosophy and literary criticism of the songs. * Rockol (Bloomsbury Translation) * [A]n interesting curation of high-quality essays that capture the diversity of affects and themes in Pearl Jam songs, as well as their engagement, oftentimes critical, with the culture industry. * Phenomenological Reviews * Sometimes certain books come along that stop you dead in your tracks, jolt you and challenge your thinking. This is one of those kinds of books. The kind of book that philosophers and anyone interested in the power of music to provoke and make change would relish. Stefano Marino and Andrea Schembari bring Pearl Jam into the Academy for the first time and along with them an arsenal of thinkers. Stop and listen up. It will give you all the answers. * Vicki Karaminas, author of Gaga Aesthetics. Art, Fashion, Popular Culture and the Upending of Tradition (Bloomsbury, 2021) * An absolute must for fans of Pearl Jam and the Seattle scene - and also for anyone captivated by the power of popular music. The authors combine a deep appreciation for the band with probing philosophical analysis. * Jeanette Bicknell, author of Philosophy of Song and Singing: An Introduction (2015) * Eloquently traversing the philosophical tradition from the Ancient Greeks through Simone Weil, Wittgenstein, Adorno and Richard Rorty, this scintillating collection of essays shows how philosophically tempered the music of Pearl Jam is. In so doing, the volume helps us to discern, perhaps against its own resistance, the buried redemptive longings inherent in popular culture. * Samir Gandesha, Associate Professor, Simon Fraser University, Canada * In [the book], in fact, the themes of free will and determinism, innocence and hope are analyzed as well as, more extensively, the very important and recurring political and aesthetic issues that mark the parable of one of the most important rock bands in history. * Il Cubo *

Stefano Marino is Professor of Aesthetics at the University of Bologna, Italy. He is co-editor of The "Aging" of Adorno's Aesthetic Theory (2021), Kants Critique of Aesthetic Judgment in the 20th Century (2020) and Philosophical Perspectives on Fashion (Bloomsbury, 2016). He is author of La filosofia dei Radiohead (2021), Aesthetics, Metaphysics, Language: Essays on Heidegger and Gadamer (2015) and La filosofia di Frank Zappa (2014). Andrea Schembari is Assistant Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature at the University of Szczecin, Poland, where he also holds courses on Italian songwriting. He is visiting professor at the Department of Human Sciences of the University of Catania, Italy. He is author and co-editor of articles and volumes on Leonardo Sciascia's work and other Sicilian writers and critics between 18th and 20th centuries, as well as on women's writing in Italy and Europe.

Preface Theodore Gracyk, Minnesota State University, USA Introduction Stefano Marino, University of Bologna, Italy, and Andrea Schembari, Univesity of Szczecin, Poland 1. Contingency, (In)significance, and the All-Encompassing Trip: Pearl Jam and the Question of the Meaning of Life Stefano Marino, University of Bologna, Italy 2. Just Like Innocence: Pearl Jam and the (Re)Discovery of Hope Sam Morris, University of South Carolina Beaufort, USA 3. Whos the Elderly Band Behind the Counter in a Small Town? Radu Uszkai, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania, and Mihail-Valentin Cernea, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania 4. Making a Choice When There Is No Better Man Laura M. Bernhardt, University of Southern Indiana, USA 5. Thats Where Were Living: Determinism and Free Will in Unthought Known Enrico Terrone, University of Torino, Italy 6. No Code Aesthetics Alberto L. Siani, University of Pisa, Italy 7. Can Truth Be Found in the Wild? Paolo Stellino, Nova Institute of Philosophy, Portugal 8. They Can Buy, But Cant Put On My Clothes: Pearl Jam, Grunge, and Subcultural Authenticity in a Postmodern Fashion Climate Stephanie Kramer, Independent Scholar 9. Pearl Jams Ghosts: The Ethical Claim Made From the Exiled Space(s) of Homelessness and WarAn Aesthetic Response-Ability Jacqueline Moulton, Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, USA 10. Pearl Jam: Responsible Music or the Tragedy of Culture? Cristina Parapar, Sorbonne University (Paris IV), France 11. Pearl Jam / Nirvana: A Dialectical Vortex that Revolves around the Void Alessandro Alfieri, Accademia Delle Belle Arti Di Roma, Italy 12. The Tide on the Shell: Pearl Jam and the Aquatic Allegories of Existence Andrea Schembari, Univesity of Szczecin, Poland Index