The Philosophy of the Western

Essays about how stories of the Old West reflect—and affect—our beliefs and values.

The solitude of the lone rider, the loyalty of his horse, and the unspoken code of the West—for many, Western movies embody America and its values, though the view of the country’s history they present isn’t always accurate. In recent years, scholars had declared the genre dead, but a steady resurgence of western themes in literature, film, and television has reestablished its importance and influence.

In The Philosophy of the Western, editors Jennifer L. McMahon and B. Steve Csaki examine philosophical themes in the western genre. Investigating subjects of nature, ethics, identity, gender, environmentalism, and animal rights, the essays in this volume draw from a wide range of westerns including the more recent popular and critical successes Unforgiven, All the Pretty Horses, 3:10 to Yuma, and No Country for Old Men, as well as literature and television serials such as Deadwood. The Philosophy of the Western reveals the powerful role of the western in the American psyche.