The Beatles and Philosophy: Nothing You Can Think that Can't Be Thunk

Popular Culture and Philosophy #25

by Michael Baur (Editor), Steven Baur (Editor), James S. Spiegel (Contributor)

The most popular musical group of all time, the Beatles also brought serious thought to the bubble gum-scented world of pop and rock music, with adventurous, profound, and sometimes mysterious lyrics that veered from the deliberate absurdity of “I Am the Walrus” to the rosy Rousseau-like fantasy of “When I’m 64” to the darkly existential/nihilist visions of “Eleanor Rigby” and “A Day in the Life.” In this lively new book, 20 Beatles-loving philosophers offer fresh insight into the lives and words of the Fab Four. Among the topics investigated are the groups’ critique of consumer culture; John Lennon and the Cold War; Paul McCartney’s philosophy of love, community, and politics; the Beatles’ struggle against the inauthentic; the ethics of chemically changed states of consciousness; the metaphysical standing of popularized Eastern meditation; and skepticism in the Beatles’ worldview. Like earlier titles in this popular series, The Beatles and Philosophy discusses complex issues in an enjoyable, highly readable fashion.

Genres: Philosophy, Music, Nonfiction, Cultural, Pop Culture

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2006

Reviews

[Sheree | Keeping Up With The Penguins · Rating 4 out of 5]

For years, The Beatles and Philosophy was my white whale book 🐳 I’m pleased to report it was worth the wait! It’s written for someone who’s already across the basics of philosophical thought, and an intimate knowledge of the Beatles catalogue is pretty much essential. Luckily, I came equipped with both.

My full review of The Beatles And Philosophy can be found on Keeping Up With The Penguins.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm honestly surprised about this book. I thought I was going to hate it, but actually it wasn't too bad. The biggest problem I had with this book is that it took too long to get into. Like, when I would actually sit down and read it, I could get into it very easily, and before I knew it would be a good ten pages or more into it, but that's just it. I couldn't really get into it to want to start reading. For the first Philosophy book I've read, it was a good start. It was very intriguing. The subjects that it talked about. The best part about those is that the topics were actually understandable for the most part. There was very little confusion. There was a lot of effort put into this book. There were very few Beatles topics that weren't mentioned in this book. I think really the only topics that weren't discussed were Solo careers (mainly George and Ringo). I do especially like the fact that at the end of the book, they listed ALL of the Beatles albums (Up to date with the book anyway) for U.K. and U.S. editions. They also listed all the songs that the Beatles did covers of. Finally, they also did a list of all the "Paul is dead" theories/clues. Overall it was a really good book, it's just very heavy with information, you have to be VERY interested to get into it.

[William]

I mostly read this book while visiting China with my parents. It was not as good as the U2 and Philosophy book, and I'm not just saying that because my Master's thesis advisor had an essay in the U2 book. Now, U2 will always be number two for me after The Beatles, but I think that possibly U2's music, their lyrics certainly, are more fertile ground for a pop culture philosophy book. I really think that to really appreciate The Beatles music a culturally- or musically-focused study is your best bet.

That doesn't mean that The Beatles have nothing to offer the philosophy major and there were some pretty good essays in this book. I wrote down the ones I liked while I was reading, but I can 't find my list. I'll edit and update if I come across it. Because I know you (all three of you) will be just dying to know which essays got my seal of approval. . .

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly gained a much deeper insight on Beatles and their songwriting. The amount of thought and research done on them is quite astonishing. It's excellent, they also give much in-depth information and many reasons for their deductions from the Beatles' lyrics. There are two ways of appreciating the Beatles fully : One is to simply listen to their music, the other is to know what went on behind making their music.

[Lori]

A fun way to read about the Beatles. Each chapter is a different essay, written by a different person. The Beatles and moral philosophy, social philosophy, existentialism, Nietzsche, the practice of philosophy, and other subtopics are included in the volume.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind
Inside a letter box they
Stumble blindly as they make their way
Across the universe
Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world....

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

All you need is love.

[Δx Δp ≥ ½ ħ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phylosophy + The Beatles --> Amazing

all you need is love

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mir reicht's, ich kann's nicht beenden. Dumemrweise muss ich trotzdem eine Review schreiben.

[Tim Smolko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not one of the better offerings from this series. Most of it is concerned with the social impact of the Beatles rather than the philosophical ideas in their music.

[Ashley McAdams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to know more about philosophy? Do you know any Beatles songs? If the answer to both of these is YES! then this book is for you! Easy to understand and relate.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because each chapter is from a different philosopher, there were obviously some chapters I really enjoyed and others I just wanted to skim through. Overall interesting.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a Beatles fan, the men not just the songs, then most of this is already self-evident. But it is a very interesting way to read about them and take them with you in daily life.

[Teejay]

I thought I'd gain some "Beatles knowledge" from reading this book but I've realized that the its kinda like the author is trying to put words in the Beatles mouths

[Michael McGuire · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really terrible. I couldn't finish it.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to know the Beatles a little bit better. As someone who loves philosophy I was expecting more in depth looks at philosophy. It was more of a Beatles culture type look into their gravitas.