Pearl Jam and Philosophy

The first scholarly discussion on the band, Pearl Jam and Philosophy examines both the songs (music and lyrics) and the activities (live performances, political commitments) of one of the most celebrated and charismatic rock bands of the last 30 years. The book investigates the philosophical aspects of their music at various levels: existential, spiritual, ethical, political, metaphysical and aesthetic. This philosophical interpretation is also dependent on the application of textual and poetic analysis: the interdisciplinary volume puts philosophical aspects of the band's lyrics in close dialogue with 19th- and 20th-century European and American poetry. Through this widespread philosophical examination, the book further looks into the band's immense popularity and commercial success, their deeply loyal fanbase and genuine sense of community surrounding their music, and the pivotal place the band holds within popular music and contemporary culture.

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), Kant's "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. Who's 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. That's Where We're 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 Can't Put On My Clothes": Pearl Jam, Grunge, and Subcultural Authenticity in a Postmodern Fashion Climate Stephanie Kramer, Independent Scholar 9. Pearl Jam's Ghosts: The Ethical Claim Made From the Exiled Space(s) of Homelessness and War-An 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