The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy

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The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy Page 27

by Gregory Bassham


  No Exit (Sartre), 127n. 5

  Nob, 95

  Noldor, the, 34, 75

  nuclear weapons, 25, 26, 30, 31–32, 101, 157

  Númenor, 56, 145, 206

  Nussbaum, Martha, 193

  Oakenshield, Thorin. See Thorin

  Odin, 40

  Odysseus, 179

  Odyssey, The (Homer), 179, 201, 213

  old age, and new technologies, 28

  Old Forest, the, 155, 180, 181

  Old Man Willow, 95, 156, 180

  oliphaunts, 65

  “On Fairy-stories” (Tolkien), 42, 59, 207–211, 213

  On the Nature of Things (Lucretius), 129

  One Ring of Power. See Ring, the One

  orcs, 11, 17, 52, 57, 66, 70, 74, 79, 91, 95, 107–08, 145, 148, 154, 160, 176, 182, 193

  Orc-cult, in Fourth Age, 148

  Orthanc, 56, 95, 137, 141

  Orwell, George, 31

  Oxford English Dictionary, 38

  palantír, 137, 141, 142, 143

  Parth Galen, 54, 176, 188

  Paths of the Dead, 152

  Paul, St., 103

  Pelennor Fields, 176

  Perseus and the Gorgon (Greek tale), 208

  Phaedrus (Plato), 194

  Phial, Galadriel’s, 43, 84, 113, 144, 202

  Phronemos, 113–14

  Picasso, Pablo, 139

  pilgrims, 200–01

  Pimple. See Lotho

  pipe-weed, 38, 55

  Pippin, 115, 130, 137

  captured by orcs, 11

  cheerfulness of, 52

  development of, 144–45, 196

  escape from orcs, 52, 153

  as Guard of the Citadel, 144

  as librarian, 145

  loyalty of, 53–54, 95, 115

  recklessness of, 143–44

  rescue from Barrow–wight, 95

  rescue from Ringwraiths in Bree, 95

  rescue from Old Man Willow, 95, 156, 180

  and Treebeard, 153–54, 159, 180

  Pittsburgh, 151

  pity, 96, 97, 169, 186–87, 199, 215–16

  and providence, 175–76

  Plague, The (Camus), 77

  Plato, 6–11, 13, 18, 19, 20, 128, 132, 201

  Allegory of the Cave, 194

  Apology, 28

  Phaedrus, 194

  Republic, 6–8, 19, 194

  and Ring of Gyges, 6–9

  Symposium, 203

  theory of Forms, 194

  Pleasantville (film), 195

  pleasure, 50

  popular culture, and philosophy, 2

  postmodernism, 200

  Pound, Ezra, 139

  poverty, 22, 28

  practical reason, 111–12

  Prancing Pony, The, 15, 95

  pride, 104, 116, 171, 173

  providence, 167ff., 213

  and chance, 168–69

  and compassion, 175–76

  and duty, 170, 174

  and freedom, 170–72, 199

  and joy, 176–77

  Pursuit of Happiness, The (Myers), 50

  Pythagoreanism, 131

  Quakers, 51–52

  Quendi, 74

  Ragnarök, 213

  Rahab, 39

  Rambo, 137

  recovery, in fairy tales, 43–44, 59, 209

  Red Book of Westmarch, 145, 178

  Reilly, Robert, 213

  reincarnation, 129–131, 135–36

  religion, in The Lord of the Rings, 88, 103, 204ff., 218

  Renaissance, 76, 139

  replicators, 27–28

  Republic (Plato), 6–8, 19, 194

  responsibility, 196

  resurrection, 131, 211

  Return of the King, The (Tolkien), 91, 147, 152

  Riddermark, The, 95

  riddle–game, the, 63

  Ring, the One, 5ff., 125

  and atomic bomb, 25

  and Bombadil, 13–14, 58, 105

  and Boromir, 10–11

  destruction of, 17, 97, 167, 170, 215–16

  and fetishism, 33ff.

  and Frodo, 15–17, 100

  and Galadriel, 11–13

  and Gollum, 9–10, 65–66, 168–69

  and modernism, 146

  and morality, 5ff.

  not completely evil, 101

  powers of, 6n. 1, 28, 94, 110, 112

  and ring of Gyges, 6–9

  and Sam, 17–18, 105

  and Saruman, 105

  Rings of Power, 19, 20, 23ff., 34, 40, 87

  The Nine, 16, 23, 104–05

  powers of, 25, 87

  The Seven, 23

  The Three, 23, 75, 107

  Ringwraiths, 15–16, 36, 41, 72–73, 95, 102, 112, 117, 125, 129, 137, 189

  Rivendell, 33, 49, 56, 73–76, 81, 95, 125

  robotics, 22, 31

  Rogers, Kenny, 72, 83

  Rohan, 158, 205, 217

  Rohirrim, 158–59

  role models, 113

  Rome, 194, 195

  rope, in The Lord of the Rings, 39

  Rosie, 43, 65, 67, 177

  Sackville–Bagginses (Lobelia, Otho, Lotho), 55, 195

  Schacht, Richard, 90n. 8

  Sam, 5, 13–14, 19, 55, 143, 145, 167, 169, 170, 177, 178, 186, 198, 214, 215, 216

  battle with Shelob, 202

  as chief hero of The Lord of the Rings, 97

  contrasted with Gollum, 63ff.

  determination of, 64, 173, 187, 202

  faithfulness of, 64, 67, 95, 97, 115

  and friendship, 65–66, 70–71

  happiness of, 52, 64–71

  humility of, 97, 105

  as “Master Samwise,” 186, 188, 198

  as mentor, 187–88

  as pilgrim, 200–03

  respect for learning, 144

  and rope, 39

  and temptation of the Ring, 17–18, 105

  Sartre, Jean–Paul, 7, 127n. 5, 129, 201

  Saruman, 42, 55, 61, 103, 105–06, 113–14, 116–17, 145, 153, 157, 161, 167, 181, 187, 190, 199, 205, 207, 213, 215, 216

  death of, 175–76

  and environmental destruction, 160, 183, 193

  and modernism, 141–42

  and providence, 175–76

  and the Shire, 151,175–76

  Satan, 103

  satiety, as human failing, 58

  Sauron, 5, 6, 16, 18, 21, 23, 24, 32, 34, 36, 57, 61, 65, 75, 87–89, 94, 101, 104–05, 107, 116, 123, 125, 137, 141–42, 144, 145, 157, 161, 167, 176, 181, 183, 187, 190, 205, 207, 213, 215, 216

  Schlitz, Don, 72

  science, 140, 156, 161, 172

  seed-box (Galadriel’s), 40, 66

  sentience,

  in Buddhism, 181–82

  in The Lord of the Rings, 180

  September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, 108

  Shadowfax, 95

  Sharkey. See Saruman

  Shelob, 35, 68, 70, 71, 145, 173, 199, 202

  Shintoism, 181

  Shippey, Tom, 100

  Shire, The, 38, 53, 65, 66, 72, 80, 138, 139, 144, 151, 175–76, 177, 184, 186, 195, 196, 200

  Shirriffs, 53

  Sickness Unto Death, The (Kierkegaard), 77

  Sigurd, 40, 41

  Silmarillion, The (Tolkien), 34, 37, 55n. 15, 74–75, 82–83, 88n. 3, 91, 206, 207, 214, 216

  Silmarils, 214, 216

  Simpsons, The (TV Series), 150

  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (poem), 208, 211–12

  skepticism, 195, 198

  Slinker and Stinker, 9, 66

  Smaug, 35, 61, 107

  Sméagol. See Gollum

  Socrates, 2, 128, 201

  Somme, Battle of the, 214

  South Park (TV series), 1

  Spacks, Patricia, 204, 205

  Springsteen, Bruce, 145

  Star Trek (films and various television series), 27, 133

  Star Wars (film), 100

  Stewart, Martha, 193

  Stimpson, Catharine R., 147

&nbs
p; Sting, 95

  Stoors, 62

  Strider. See Aragorn

  subcreation, 209

  Suzuki, D.T., 185

  Symposium (Plato), 203

  Taoism, 179, 180, 188–191

  Taylor, Charles, 197

  technology, 25ff. 49, 79, 81, 138, 139

  Telperion, 218

  Terminator, The (film), 79

  terrorism, 108

  Theis, Thomas, 26

  Thelma and Louise (film), 194

  Théoden, 83, 113, 205

  Theseus, 201

  “things,” in The Lord of the Rings, 37–38

  Third Age, 55n. 15, 73, 153, 207

  Thomas, Ned, 29

  Thoreau, Henry David, 51

  Thorin, 106–07

  Thunderdome (film), 03

  time, “geologic” vs. “green,” 151–52, 160

  Tolkien, Christopher, 138, 210

  Tolkien, Michael, 139

  Tolkien, J.R.R.,

  and Christian faith, 2, 37, 88, 104, 131, 134–35, 141, 185, 218

  critics of, 146–47

  and existentialism, 80–84

  and fame, 192–93

  intentions in writing The Lord of the Rings, 2, 21–22, 88, 94–95n. 18, 138, 140–41, 146, 212–13

  and Kant, 172–73

  and modernism, 138ff.

  and Nietzsche, 94–95n. 18

  and philosophy, 1–2

  and tradition, 138ff.

  and World War II, 72–73, 138, 151

  Tom (troll), 89

  Tom Bombadil. See Bombadil, Tom

  Took, Peregrin. See Pippin

  Torah, 204

  transcendence, 45

  Treebeard, 55, 58, 107–08, 142, 153–54, 159, 160, 180, 182

  and “hill,” 44

  trees, 59, 154, 158–59, 180–81

  trolls, 89, 91, 107

  Troubled Sleep (Sartre), 77

  truth, and modernism, 147

  Turner, Tina, 203

  Two Towers, The (Tolkien), 153, 188, 198

  Tyler, Liv, 82 n. 13

  Übermensch (overman), 92–94

  Undying Lands. See Aman

  Union of Concerned Scientists, 32

  United Nations, 31

  Urang, Gunnar, 13, 215, 216

  Uruk-hai, 153

  utilitarianism, 118

  vagina dentata, 35

  Valhalla, 213

  Valar, 24, 83, 156, 206, 207, 214

  Valinor, 24, 57, 124n. 2

  van Inwagen, Peter, 132

  Vilya (elf ring), 23

  Virgil, 179, 213–14

  virtue, 9, 13, 18–20, 55–56, 110ff.

  virtue ethics, 110ff.

  Volsungs, 40

  Walden Pond, 51

  War of the Ring, 137, 145, 147, 153, 157, 160, 163

  Waste Land, The (Eliot), 147

  Weathertop, 15, 95, 125

  Westwood, Vivienne, 192

  White Council, 141

  William (troll), 89

  Williams, Charles, 2

  Willow, Old Man. See Old Man

  Willow

  Wittgenstein, Ludwig, 63, 160

  wizards (Istari), 96, 113, 130, 148, 181, 206, 207

  wonder, 44, 58–59, 176

  WorldCom, 193

  World War I, 76, 138, 139, 141, 176

  World War II, 73, 79, 80, 81n. 11, 138, 151

  Wormtongue, 55, 113–14, 143, 207

  wraiths. See Ringwraiths

  Yavanna, 154n. 4

  yin and yang, 188–191

  You’ve Got Mail (film), 79

  Zarathustra, 78

  Zen Buddhism, 179, 184–85, 186, 188

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