[Bups-dis] Pop (as in music) Philosophy

[Nick Jones]

Well, I've always enjoyed Scritti Politti (my problem, I guess) who have 
songs referencing Philosophy Now ('Philosophy Now'), Derrida ('Jacques 
Derrida'), Nietzsche ('Asylums in Jerusalem') and Wittgenstein ('Slow 
Soul' - 'it's true like the Tractatus')

Nick


Edward Grefenstette wrote:
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> Dear fellow BUPSers,
>
> With a topic title containing the word "pop" as an adjective applied  
> to "philosophy", you might come to expect a good deal of critical  
> jest directed at certain contemporary philosophers (who will remain  
> unnamed for the sake of my potential career) who publish books  
> intended for the lay community, and which some of their peers may  
> qualify as "rubbish". But rest assured, we'll have none of that here.  
> What I wish to discuss is philosophy in pop (or other) music. A while  
> back, we had a similar thread about philosophy in popular culture,  
> and – it being the summer holidays – it seems like an ideal time to  
> bring up a more 'para-academic' topic such as this one.
>
> I recently had the pleasure of listening to the NOFX song "Clams have  
> feelings too", the lyrics of which take the form of a debate between  
> two parties on the ethical implications of eating shellfish. One  
> party contends that clams have no central nervous system, and that  
> therefore – as they feel no pain – there are no qualms to be had when  
> it comes to consuming delicious clams (a position I'd support  
> regardless, out of sheer gastronomical selfishness). The other party  
> disagrees on the basis that the lack of sensory organs similar to  
> those found in other species is not grounds for claiming that clams  
> do not, nonetheless, have feelings, and that therefore it would be  
> unethical to take such epistemic leaps and conclude that eating clams  
> is okay.
>
> Now, I'm not particularly interested (at least not right within the  
> context of this topic) in hearing your arguments for or against  
> eating clams (or other animals), since – as those of you having met  
> me at conferences may know – I tend to practice a "if it tastes good,  
> damn philosophy" code of ethics when it comes to food (horrible,  
> eh?). However, I'd be very keen to hear similar anecdotes concerning  
> occurrences of philosophical discussion/debate in music that you have  
> come across.
>
> All the best,
> Edward.
>
> PS: Also, I hope you're all enjoying your summer holidays. : )
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