The Beatles and Philosophy

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 Im 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 McCartneys 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.