Customer Reviews

Bob Dylan and Philosophy: It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Thinking) (Popular Culture and Philosophy)

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I have read several of the "Popular Culture and Philosophy" series and this is one of the better ones. That may be because I have been a fan of "all things Dylan" for more years than I care to remember. The chapters are well written and researched and are on topics that actually pertain to Dylan as these writers muse on Dylan's lyrics, writings and statements over the years. The fact that Dylan has changed over the years (maturing as an artist and human being) is readily noted in the book with the attendant fact that this makes it very hard to pin Dylan down on any particular philosophical system. Of course, not being able to "pin him down" is Dylanesque.

Much has been written about Bob Dylan over the years, some good, some horrible. This book would be a good addition to anyone that seriously considers the content and meaning of Dylan's poetry, that is until Bob gives us a philosophy textbook of his lyrics himself.

I picked this book up on a whim - interesting title, attractive cover - and I skimmed a bit in the library. I am glad I took it home. I think you are likely to be a bit disapointed if you are looking for a book about Bob Dylan - and certainly there are plenty of others to choose from. As the Introduction to the book says, Dylan's work is used as a starting off point to look, with a philosophical perspective, at various themes in Dylan's work as a way of introducing philosphical concepts and methods to a broader audience. I don't get the impression that the idea is to be definitive, rather these generally easy to read essays are thought provoking and a rather fun way to learn about philosophy. While I have read all of the Platonic dialogues, I do not know very much about current trends in philosophy. I have particularly enjoyed the material in this book which touches on Post Modern philosophy, specifically as it relates to the Enlightenment ideals. There are a number of authors and sources which I plan to have a closer look at. In this way, as a fun introduction to what can only be described as a frequently stodgy subject (at least in its academic form) I highly recommend this book. You may not agree with all of the opinions expressed within, but they are nevetheless quite stimulating. After all, it is still fun to think - isn't it? ;) And what better excuse do you need to dust off some of your old Dylan LP's and give them another spin? Enjoy!

This is a good book if your goal is to think about Dylan's oeuvre and/or from his lyrics. If you're looking for an eulogistic volume, escape this one. The book as a whole is very clear in its purpose, all the essays included in it are interesting. From ethics to metaphysics, through aesthetics, Bob Dylan and Philosophy (50% of Dylan, 50% of philosophy, which is really good) is also a nice teacher ressource. Finally, if you like Bob Dylan's work and you like reading philosophy, yes: this is your book. I enjoyed very much.

highly recomended for any serious Dylan fan. book is easy to read and well worth it. there are some briliant insights that i have never read anywhere else.

As a Dylan freak, I thought I would eat this book up like...well, food; I was sadly mistaken. Many of these 'essays' on Dylan's work read like high school term papers (and I am a high schooler, thus I know the general workmanship on said papers!).
They are joyless and often pander to the reader--because, while not everybody understands Camus and Kierkeegarde (I'm not sure if I spelled it right, and am too lazy to check), anybody could make the conclusion that in Dylan's romantic songs (like Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, or Tangled Up In Blue) he is sad, because the love meant everything to him in his life.
It's not hard to read meaning into Dylan's music, but in doing such, this book misses what I feel to be Dylan's point--that everyone should have their own philosophy and be an individual leader. In reading this and writing this, readers are disobeying Dylan's statement: Don't follow leaders.
So, I wouldn't recommend spending the outrageous $ on this book unless you really like people to tell you what they think Bob Dylan was thinking. And since even Zimmy himself can't quite express all his thoughts on life, this book does a poor job.

Of special interest to Dylan fandom, in this frank and brutally honest book, are chapters 12 and 13: "With God (and Socrates and Augustine) on Our Side," by James S. Spiegel; and "Busy Being Born Again: Bob Dylan's Christian Philosophy," by Francis J. Beckwith. Until this book came along (_Bob Dylan and Philosophy_), all of Dylan's fans just tried to pretend it never happened--that Bob never turned his heart over to Jesus. Sorry, folks: it's true.

Rock stars have quite the reputation, but they can surprise you. I'll never forget 1978, when Dylan first got born again. My two best friends, Belial and Beelzebub, were so upset they could not even talk about it!

I thought Dylan's conversion was just a publicity stunt. I made a bet with Belial -- my signed 1965 glossy of Dylan at KQED San Francisco, against Belial's mint 1963 vinyl of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan -- that Bob would chuck Christianity within three months.

Instead Jesus kept Dylan hangin' on for three years. So I lost that wager.

Meanwhile, Beelzebub was so embarrassed by the loss of Bob Dylan to the cause of Christ that he put out a rumour, throughout the music industry, that the Dylan albums, _Slow Train Coming_ (1979), _Saved_ (1980), and _Shot of Love_ (1981), were not really about past sins, recent conversion, and future salvation at all; but were rather about sexual dysfunction, welcome medication, and eventual, glorious release. (And there might even be some truth in that. One of the side effects that evangelists rarely tell you about, when you first accept Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour, is that personal salvation may interfere with your sexual pleasure. Believe me, I've seen it happen a million times.)

(Well, I mean, I have not "seen it," not with my own eyes, but I do know about the problem.)

Dylan's Christian phase was not like Ron Santo of the Chicago Cubs: Santo got born again in April, in hopes of batting .400 that season; and then chucked religion in September, after batting only .289. For Dylan, it was the real deal, and it lasted for three years.

1,243 days after he found Jesus, Dylan finally gave up on Christianity and returned to our side. I'll never forget that day: Belial put on some Dylan vinyls, and the three of us were cool again. But let the good Lord have mercy on Dylan's soul, because I never will: not unless Belial returns my autographed KQED glossy. But I just know I won't ever won't get it back.

--L.

So what do John Calvin, Bob Dylan, and Jim Spiegel all have in common? They all rock out Augustinian style! Yes, that is right. Within this philosophic volume exploring the themes and thought patterns of Bob Dylan, Jim Spiegel explores Bob Dylan's stance on God's sovereignty. How cool is that? You get three great minds converging in one essay in addition to many other essays for the price of less than $[...].

In case any of you are not familiar with Jim Spiegel, he is a professor of philosophy at Taylor University who teaches a wide variety of philosophic disciplines such as epistemology, ethics, history of philosophy from ancient to modern (two different semesters), philosophy of mind, and of course one of his favorite "Taylormade" course aesthetics. Normally, one would have to enroll as a undergraduate student to enjoy the philosophic theatrics of Dr. Spiegel, but here featured within this volume the public is able to catch just a brief glimpse at the Spiegel-geist manifesting himself in one of his favorite topics aesthetics, which, of course, according to the Spiegel definition is the study of rock 'n roll as it emerges out of philosophy.

According to Spiegel, philosophy truly begins with rock 'n roll insofar as Aristotle sketches out the first rough outlines of the rock 'n roll program. Yes, it is true that there is not a single cultural movement that cannot be first attributed to Aristotle. Seriously, if it was not for Aristotle's album de anima where would Thomas Aquinas really be today? I can say this he would not be the most hard-core theologian of the medieval period.

Anyway, Spiegel traces out the theological dilemmas of Bob Dylan within the lyrics of his early and late career. Spiegel points out that Bob Dylan has not always held a consistent Calvinistic position. In some cases, Bob Dylan is overwhelmed with the immediate circumstance and is therefore unable to see God's sovereignty in specific circumstances of his life. This is a position to Spiegel labels as weak sovereignty. In other more positive cases, Dylan is able to rejoice in the fact that God has brought him through troubling circumstance towards a more firm understanding of things. This position Spiegel labels as strong sovereignty. Spiegel notes that the problem with too strong of the view of sovereignty is that sometimes Dylan is unable to see his own participation in the sovereign plan of God.

Spiegel then brings out what he calls compatiblism. This is a view that wholeheartedly understands God wonderful and sovereignly good plan without negating individual moral responsibility. Admittedly, Dylan does not always achieve this balanced understanding, but there are rare glimpses of sovereignly enabled freedom within the thoughtful lyrics of his songs. If you enjoy reading Spiegel's article, make sure to check out some of his books on Amazon such as: How to Be Good in a World Gone Bad, The Benefits of Providence: A New Look at Divine Sovereignty, and Hypocrisy: Moral Fraud and Other Vices

This book is emphatically NOT for any one who is serious about Bob. It's just another of the plethora of attempts to capitalize on the man's genius by attaching their name to a title. For a clue, this is part of a series entitled 'Popular Culture & Philosophy'. It is the publisher's 17th volume which should illuminate their priorities. Here's a sampling of some of their earlier efforts: 'Seinfeld &...', 'Superheros &...','The Atkins Diet &...'. If that hasn't wetted your mouth yet, here's what's in preparation: 'Harley-Davidson &...', 'Poker &...'. Get my gest. If a bunch of predictable babblers from Tin Pan Alley is your idea of a good read get this book quick. If however you are like me and think of Dylan as 'complete unto' himself and are sickened by all these sychophants trying to grab a piece of him simply to elevate their own 'position & place', keep this silly offering far far away from your real Dylan books.