Black Sabbath and Philosophy: Mastering Reality

Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture #37

by William Irwin (editor)

A philosophical look at heavy metal's dark masters of reality, Black SabbathBlack Sabbath is one of the world's most influential and enduring rock bands. Dubbed "the Beatles of heavy metal" by "Rolling Stone," they helped to define a genre with classic songs like "Paranoid," "Iron Man," and "War Pigs," songs whose lyrics reveal hidden depth and philosophical insight. Their songs confront existential despair, social instability, political corruption, the horrors of war, and the nature of evil. This book explores the wide range of profound ideas in the band's music and lyrics to help you understand Black Sabbath as never before.Discusses and debates essential Black Sabbath topics and themes, such as the problem of evil, "War Pigs" and the nature of just war theory, whether or not Sabbath is still Sabbath without Ozzy, and whether "evil is in the ear of the beholder"Gives you new perspectives on Black Sabbath's music and lyricsProvides a deeper appreciation and understanding of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, and Ronnie James DioBrings some of history's heaviest thinkers to bear on the band's music, from Aristotle and Nietzsche to Schopenhauer and MarxSo . . . "can you help me, occupy my brain?" Yes! Start reading "Black Sabbath and Philosophy."

Genres: Philosophy, Music, Nonfiction, Ebooks

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 18, 2012

About the author

William Irwin is Professor of Philosophy at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and is best known for originating the "philosophy and popular culture" book genre with Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (1999) and The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer (2001).

Reviews

[Litos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure, the basic premise of this book wouldn't lead one to expect anything but a very simple introduction to philosophy. Still, it makes for an enjoyable read to dilettantes such as myself who have trouble reading "proper" philosophy books.

Being a collection of short essays on several aspects one may consider from Sabbath's opus and circumstances, there are ups and downs: some are plainly fan celebrations of the band, while others raise interesting subjects (such as the limits of perception and Iommi's plastic fingertips). All in all, it's a fun little book I enjoyed.

[Levent Pekcan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Farklı yazarların sürekli aynı fikirleri tekrarladığı, gereksiz uzatılmış bir kitap. Tüm kitapta belki bir 20 sayfa kadar ilgi çekici yazı var, geri kalanı tekrardan ibaret. Kitap Black Sabbath'ın sadece Ozzy zamanını ele alıyor, zaten bu noktada kendini sınırlamış oluyor. Black Sabbath'ı deli gibi sevmeme rağmen bu kitaptan tat alamadım.

[Mark Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there were an option to give this book four and a half stars, I would. As that option's not available, I've chosen to round up rather than down. There are simply too many thought-provoking, musically relevant (if you like Sabbath) and generally clever observations peppered throughout the book for it to be rounded down to a four. Why not a definitive, no-hesitation five? Because, as is the case with most philosophical writings, pretentiousness makes frequent appearances, sometimes accompanied by outright preposterousness. This is not always a bad thing. Usually it's irritating but at times it can be amusing.

By far the most enjoyable parts of the book come when a particular writer (each of the book's chapters is written by a different author) gets deliberately light-hearted whilst applying recognised philosophical themes to specifics of Black Sabbath's music, lyrics, artwork, image or band members. The best example of this is the entirety of chapter 7 - The Art of Black Sabbath - which is written by Professor of Philosophy Greg Littmann. More than any of the book's other chapters (all of which I enjoyed), this one had me in stitches. Littmann writes it like some parallel-Universe literary version of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, with Aristotle auditioning for Black Sabbath in the 1960s, desperate to be accepted into the band, and going to great lengths to convince Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill of why they should accept him into the fold. Genius is an overused word, but this chapter is proper genius. It's also comedy gold.

I won't pontificate about other chapters. Doing so would give away some surprises and thereby prevent them from being surprises if/when this review's readers go on to read the book. So my revelations would be sort of paradoxical spoilers - slayers of surprises. I don't want to be that guy, so instead I'll do something useful by summing up who might enjoy Black Sabbath and Philosophy: Mastering Reality.

If you're a fan of Black Sabbath but don't have any particular interest in philosophy, there's a good chance you'll enjoy the book and have some laughs along the way.

If you're a fan of philosophy but don't have any interest in Black Sabbath, the book will be anathema to you, as the songs/lyrics/tours/events/musicians mentioned will have no meaning to you, and therefore no resonance within you.

If you're a fan of Black Sabbath and a philosophy enthusiast (as I am), this book is custom-made for you. It will be entirely your cup o' tea.

If you don't like Black Sabbath and you think philosophy's a pile of old shite, this book is definitely not for you. But you don't need me to tell you that.

[M.Dankiewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book delves into topics such as the nature of evil, the human condition, and the struggle for authenticity. The band’s work frequently addresses moral ambiguity and the nature of good and evil. their music often reflects societal anxieties. The exploration of themes like alienation and societal disillusionment in songs such as "Iron Man" resonates with listeners who feel disconnected from mainstream culture.I’ve always been drawn to the raw energy and dark themes in their work, This book articulates how that raw emotion connects to philosophical themes (as its title suggests) showing how with every song, there's so much more to delve deeper in, but only if your willing to find it :)
Highly recommended ❤️

[André Neves · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of several PhD philosophers who deeply dissect the founding fathers of heavy metal.
William Irwin, alongside with other academic colleagues, explore many themes revolving around Black Sabbath, such as magic, politics, religion, supernatural, art and much more. They even summon ancient philosophers like Aristotle, Plato and Nietzsche to corroborate a few of Sabbath's mythos, and how the quartet achieved stardom.
Although tends to be a bit repetitive, this is a mandatory book with a variety of philosophical essays to help you to understand one of the greatest metal bands of all time.

[John Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have ever thought deeply about Black Sabbath, you will find Sabisfaction in these pages.

[Žarko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zbirka eseja o Blek Sabatu, ali i opštije o pitanjima (metal) muzike, zla, kontinuiteta benda, itd... kroz filozofske cvikere. Zanimljiva su učitavanja i tumačenja tekstova u filozofskom ključu, sa neizbežnim Ničeom, Kantom, Šopenhauerom i koekakvim egzistencijalistima.

Knjiga je iz serijala koji se bavi raznim popkulurnim fenomenima (Simpsonovi i filozofija, South Park i filozofija, itd...) pa je pisano opušteniim stilom za slučajnog čitaoca.

Iako volim Sabbath, nisam se baš upuštao u to ko su oni, a ovde sam saznao dosta i o okruženju iz koga su potekli, kakvi su kao pojedinačni stvaraoci i kao ličnosti, kako su funkcionisali kao grupa, kolko su droge jeli za doručak na kom albumu, broj grupi devojaka po godini i slične statistike. Lepo je napomenuto i u uvodnom tekstu, mnoge činjenice o samom bendu se neizbežno ponavljaju, jer su autori iako iz različitih uglova pisali o istoj temi i periodu, što do kraja ume biti zamorno, ali zato postoji skrol taster, jelte. Do kraja knjige sam završio sa 10+GB mp3jki Sabbatha više nego što sam imao pre, al ovu žabu u tu vodu nije bilo teško naterati.

[Dennis Mitton · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? It’s a fun little book that you can read in bite-sized chunks, but, well, it’s a philosophy book based on Black Sabbath. There is a very strong sense that the writers went looking for ways to match Sabbath up to anything approaching philosophical questions. I’d never put the two together and it’s worth the slight cost of admission.

There are essays on evil, on musical genres, and even one on my favorite philosopher ol’ Art Schopenhauer. The most interesting questions center around definitions and identity: what makes a thing a thing? Who or what is the real Black Sabbath? The writers use the large number of changes of band members over the years as a spring board to question the reality and definition of a thing – any thing – even a kind of silly albeit successful group of doping musicians from Britain.

It’s a fun and light read. Probably won’t lead to any real revelations or Oprah ‘a-ha’ moments but just might get you thinking about question of mastering reality, cranky German philosophers, and war. So I say give it a go.

[Jack Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A philosophical look at heavy metal's dark masters of reality, Black Sabbath! How could I not love this?

I do not know exactly what I was expecting, but this was not it. Part history, part psychological and philosophical analysis of the music, lyrics, and the band. Some very interesting, while other seems either obligatory or forced. But very educational. Just because it did not do an analysis of the songs like I was expecting does not mean it is not done well.

So much of this seems to be "preaching to the choir" for both Heavy Metal and philosophy lovers. Which is great if you are one or the other, because you may see something new or in a new light. But if you are well versed in both you will have to look hard for those nuggets of learning.

[Kim Heimbuch · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Grogginess, awkwardness, inexperience, monotony… all these artistic imperfections contributed to the sense of doom that lingered around Black Sabbath’s music…” p39
…” p39
I absolutely jumped into this book without any expectations or notion about what it might hold between the covers and I am floored I didn't read sooner. As with most philosophy you must be open minded and take much of it with a grain of salt or you will find yourself battling your way through the literature with the parts you might disagree with. This book is no exception.... See the rest of this review in the March Edition at http://citybookreview.com

[Spiral · Rating 3 out of 5]

Κάποιες φορές άστοχο, κάποιες άλλες τραβηγμένο από τα μαλλιά, αλλού stating the obvious κι αλλού totally missing the point, παρόλα αυτά ήταν μια καλή ευκαιρία για επαναπροσδιορισμό κι επανεκτίμηση της σχέσης μου με μια μπάντα που λίγο-πολύ μου άλλαξε τη ζωή. Επιπλέον, αποτελεί μια όχι-κι-άσχημη πρώτη επαφή με τις βασικές σχολές της φιλοσοφίας και τα αντίστοιχα θεμελιώδη ερωτήματα. Not bad, τελικά.

[Paripurnagalih · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black Sabbath and Philosophy: Mastering Reality. by William Irwin. i fan of tony lommi and ozzy also but so sorry about this book and philosophy (not too very impressed). I prefer a seven out of ten.