The Rolling Stones and Philosophy_ It's Just a Thought Away - Luke Dick [114]
The Rolling Stones know all about this. Their reputation as troublemakers is something they seemed to enjoy, especially when the cameras were rolling and they brought their songs and attitude into living rooms around the world. They were singing to their young fans who probably knew all about this kind of pleasure, and it made many parents nervous. They knew the implication of what Augustine and Mick Jagger were saying: We often choose to do bad things because there is a little “devil” in all of us?
This is the significance of “Sympathy for the Devil.” By nature, people have desires for power, wealth, and conventional success. But these desires take over our better natures, we become more like the devil. Jagger sings that he should be called Lucifer “’cause I’m in need of some restraint.” The taunt is completely justified. Even in the twenty-first century, we’re still killing one another, robbing one another, and losing sight of the good innately in us. You can’t really dispute that “the devil” caused people’s actions when the Devil’s fingerprints aren’t the ones discovered at the crime scene. It’s as if the trademark background vocals keep asking “Who? Who?”—Who is the real devil? Who is really to blame for these historical catastrophes and murders? Mick Jagger gives us the answer. It was “you and me.” “I’ll tell you one time,” he sings, “you’re to blame.”
Sympathy for The Stones
People are often quick to praise God for catching a touchdown pass or hitting a home run, and in the same way, they are equally as quick to blame the Devil for their flat tire. The Stones would have us believe that evil, and by implication good, alike come from us. They put the blame and the credit squarely on human shoulders. It’s not unlikely, therefore, that some will accuse The Stones of atheism.
This image of five young men threatening the fabric of civilization is reminiscent of the accusations against the Socrates, usually called “founder of Western Philosophy.” One of the most influential and virtuous men in history, Socrates was put on trial for some of the same charges that The Rolling Stones faced in the 1960s. At his trial, documented in “The Apology,” Socrates was accused of:
Being an atheist
Being a sophist (or malicious, persuasive man with his own personal, wicked agenda)
Corrupting the youth in Athens.
Socrates was found guilty and condemned to death in a decision known as “the great sin against philosophy.” Socrates could have fled Athens, like The Rolling Stones were exiled from England in the south of France, but he accepted his death sentence (he did not know if death was all the bad anyways); he wanted, most of all, for the changes in Athens to occur.
The Stones also questioned and challenged religious and civil authorities, especially in the 1960s, and were arrested and widely criticized for their relationship to youth. Think about the three accusations against Socrates. Socrates refuted the atheist charge by discussing his belief in the gods—he would not only quote them, but he talked about visiting temples dedicated to various deities. The Stones could employ a similar defense by citing “Sympathy for the Devil.” There’s clearly some differentiation about right and wrong going on in the song, and it refers to the devil and Lucifer. These are things theologians talk about, so it’s hard to see the charge of atheism sticking.
As for sophism, Socrates argued that because he received no money for his speeches (a common trait of sophists was charge for their “inspiration”) it was not correct to call him one. Plato wrote that Socrates dressed in common clothes because, like most philosophers, his work led him to poverty. His speeches didn’t exactly bring in the Benjamins. Granted, the Stones are now one of the most lucrative bands in the history of rock’n’roll, but they weren’t in the 1960s and 1970s that we’re talking about.
Socrates argued that he couldn’t possibly have corrupted the youth, because he didn’t go searching for them—they found him. Crowds would gather in the thousands