Metallica and Philosophy

A Crash Course in Brain Surgery

By: William Irwin

Narrated by: Jeff Preston

Hit the lights and jump in the fire, you're about to enter the School of Rock! Today's lecture will be a crash course in brain surgery. This hard and fast lesson is taught by instructors who graduated from the old school - they actually paid $5.98 for The $5.98 EP. But back before these philosophy professors cut their hair, they were lieutenants in the Metal Militia.

• A provocative study of the "thinking man's" metal band
• Maps out the connections between Aristotle, Nietzsche, Marx, Kierkegaard, and Metallica, to demonstrate the band’s philosophical significance
• Uses themes in Metallica's work to illuminate topics such as freedom, truth, identity, existentialism, questions of life and death, metaphysics, epistemology, the mind-body problem, morality, justice, and what we owe one another
• Draws on Metallica's lyrical content, Lars Ulrich's relationship with Napster, as well as the documentary Some Kind of Monster
• Serves as a guide for thinking through the work of one of the greatest rock bands of all time

Compiled by the editor of Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book About Everything and Nothing and The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer

©2007 William Irwin (P)2009 Tantor Audio

Not Just for Metallica Fans

I became a fan listening to this book. I'd only known a couple songs before. The reader was a little slow for my taste, but listening on double speed was great. I like this series. It's great for understanding philosophical concepts. I didn't like the end where it moved from the music and lyrics to just the band, but most of it was fun.