True Detective and Philosophy: A Deeper Kind of Darkness

Does the world need bad men?

Does Rust really know who he is?

Is the light winning?

And why life rather than death?

As arguably one of the most existential flagship series in modern times, True Detective′s spine–chilling storylines have attracted a fervently questioning fan–base, alongside significant online coverage and fan sites, inspiring substantial philosophical debate from both fans and serious philosophers alike. True Detective and Philosophy delves into the many existential and ethical questions that arise in this darkly complex, character–driven series.

Investigating the deep philosophical issues behind the show′s characters and engrossing narratives, these eighteen original essays explore questions that include: Why Life Rather Than Death? Cosmic Horror and Hopeful Pessimism, the Illusion of Self, Noir, Tragedy, Philosopher–Detectives, and more.

Essential reading for fans and philosophers, the stimulating chapters in True Detective and Philosophy accessibly explore the deeper meanings behind this genre–expanding crime show.

Table of Contents

True Detective and Philosophy: A Deeper Kind of Darkness

Introduction: Welcome to the Psychosphere

Jacob Graham and Tom Sparrow

Part One. It s All One Ghetto, Man, Giant Gutter in Outer Space : Pessimism and Anti–Natalism

1. Why Life Rather Than Death? Answers from Rustin Cohle and Arthur Schopenhauer

Sandra Shapshay

2. Grounding Carcosa: Cosmic Horror and Philosophical Pessimism in True Detective

Christopher Mountenay

3. Hart and Cohle: The Hopeful Pessimism of True Detective

Joshua Foa Dienstag

4. Loving Rust s Pessimism: Rationalism and Emotion in True Detective Season One

Rick Elmore

5. Rust s Anti–Natalism: The Moral Imperative to Opt Out of a Raw Deal

Chris Byron

Part Two. We Get the World We Deserve : Cruelty, Violence, Evil, and Justice

6. Where is the Cruelty in True Detective?

G. Randolph Mayes

7. Nevermind: Subjective and Objective Violence in Vinci

Luke Howie

8. Naturalism, Evil, and the Moral Monster: The Evil Person in True Detective

Peter Brian Barry

9. But I Do Have a Sense of Justice: Law and Justice in the Bleak World of Vinci

Beau Mullen

Part Three. Everybody s Nobody : Consciousness, Existence, and Identity

10. A Dream Inside a Locked Room: The Illusion of Self

Evan Thompson

11. I Am Not Who I Used to Be, But Am I Me? Personal Identity and the Narrative of Rust

Andrew M. Winters

12. The Light is Winning

Sarah K. Donovan

13. The Tragic Misstep: Consciousness, Free Will, and the Last Midnight

Daniel P. Malloy

Part Four. This is My Least Favorite Life : Noir, Tragedy, and Philosopher–Detectives

14. The Tragedy of True Detective Season Two: Living Our Least Favorite Lives

Alison Horbury

15. The Noir Detective and the City

Chuck Ward

16. Cohle and Oedipus: The Return of the Noir Hero

Daniel Tutt

Part Five. Time is a Flat Circle : Time in True Detective

17. Time is a Flat Circle: Nietzsche s Concept of Eternal Recurrence

Lawrence J. Hatab

18. Eternal Recurrence and the Philosophy of the Flat Circle

Paul DiGeorgio

Jacob Graham is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia. His research focuses on ancient and modern philosophy, as well the value of philosophy in popular culture.

Tom Sparrow is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Slippery Rock University, Pennsylvania. His primary research is in continental philosophy and phenomenology. His recent publications include Plastic Bodies (2015) and The End of Phenomenology (2014).

William Irwin (series editor) is Herve A. LeBlanc Distinguished Service Professor and Chair of Philosophy at King′s College in Pennsylvania. Irwin originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books with Seinfeld and Philosophy in 1999 and is the General Editor of The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series. He has overseen recent titles including The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy, Wonder Woman and Philosophy, and Alien and Philosophy.