Why Rush and Philosophy?

Less than a year ago, I bought my first "philosophy" book in years, "The Grateful Dead and Philosophy", edited by Steven Gimbel. While being a fan of the music of The Dead, my experience with philosophy had not gone beyond the graduate educational philosophy courses. "The Grateful Dead and Philosophy" sparked an interest in philosophy, soon I was devouring the works of Sartre, and Nietzsche, Rand, and others. I began to realize that musicians and philosophers share the capability of awakening a deeper awareness for thinking. In the back of "The Grateful Dead and Philosophy" book, I wrote myself a note, "why not Rush and Philosophy?, after all, the band has been called the "thinking man's band". Within two weeks I made contact with Chris Matthew Sciabarra whose e-mails and correspondence gave me the confidence to pursue this project. The next Rush-ian scholar I contacted was co-editor Durrell Bowman, whose Doctorate dissertation was developed around Rush! The connection of Rush fans, inside and outside academia continued to grow, and before long, dozens of abstracts and papers, from professors with doctoral and published research, to teachers whose contributions to this project will be their first major work of publication. The "Web of Rush-Ians" as I have come to call the network, has proven to be an interesting and eclectic group, each bringing various perspectives and stories about their Rush experiences. In the up coming days, I will be posting some tid bits of information about the contributors and their research, offering a sampling of what is to come.

What is it that you enjoy about Rush? Are there any particular themes or topics that have been "tweaked" by your interest in Rush? Do you find yourself brining Rush into your profession, intentially or unintentionally? Share your stories.