The Lord of the rings and philosophy
Subtitle: one book to rule them all
By: edited by Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson.
Contributors: Bassham, Gregory, 1959-; Bronson, Eric, 1971-
Series: Popular culture and philosophy ;; v. 5
Publisher: Open Court; Distributed by Publishers Group West
Published: 2003
Place of publication: Chicago; [Berkeley, Calif.]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 240
Subjects: Tolkien, J. R. R. 1892-1973.; Tolkien, J. R. R. 1892-1973 -- Philosophy.; Fantasy fiction, English -- History and criticism.; Middle Earth (Imaginary place); Philosophy in literature.
Description: Can power be wielded for good, or must it always corrupt? Does technology destroy the truly human? Is beer essential to the good life? The Lord of the Rings raises many such searching questions, and this book attempts some answers. Divided into five sections concerned with power and the Ring, the quest for happiness, good and evil in Middle-earth, time and mortality, and the relevance of fairy tales, The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy mines Tolkien's fantasy worlds for wisdom in areas including the menace of technology, addiction and fetishism, the vitality of tradition, the environmental implications of Tolkien's thought, Middle-earth's relationship to Buddhism and Taoism, and more.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.