Try free for 30 days

  • The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All

  • Popular Culture and Philosophy, Book 5
  • By: Gregory Bassham, Eric Bronson
  • Narrated by: Mark Sando
  • Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All cover art

The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All

By: Gregory Bassham, Eric Bronson
Narrated by: Mark Sando
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

The Lord of the Rings is intended to be applicable to the real world of relationships, religion, pleasure, pain, and politics. Tolkien himself said that his grand tale of wizards, orcs, hobbits, and elves was aimed at truth and good morals in the actual world.

Analysis of the popular appeal of The Lord of the Rings (on websites and elsewhere) shows that Tolkien fans are hungry for discussion of the urgent moral and cosmological issues arising out of this fantastic epic story.

Can political power be wielded for good, or must it always corrupt? Does technology destroy the truly human? Is it morally wrong to give up hope? Can we find meaning in chance events?

In The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy, 17 philosophy professors, all of them ardent Tolkien fans and most of them contributors to the four earlier volumes in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series, address some of these important issues and show how clues to their solutions may be found in the imaginary world of Middle-earth. The book is 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

The book is published by Open Court Publishing Company. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

"The general reader will find much to think about...would also be useful for students of Tolkien and in undergraduate teaching. (Science Fiction Research Association)

©2003 Carus Publishing Company (P)2023 Redwood Audiobooks

What listeners say about The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.