Acknowledgments viii; Thinking about U2 ix; PART I See the World in Green and Blue: U2 and the Philosophy of Existence 1; 1. "We Can Be One": Love and Platonic Transcendence in U2 MARINA BERZINS McCOY 3; 2. Staring at the Sun: U2 and the Experience of Kierkegaardian Despair HUBERT L. DREYFUS and MARK A. WRATHALL 15; 3. "If You Want to Kiss the Sky, Better Learn How to Kneel": Existential Christianity in U2 MARK A. WRATHALL 25; 4. Philosophizing Place in The Joshua TreeJ EFF MALPAS 43.;Is it possible to be a committed Christian and a rock superstar? Can political activists make good music? Do hugely successful rock bands really care about AIDS and poverty in Africa, or is it just another image-enhancing schtick? U2 and Philosophy ponders these and other seeming dichotomies in the career of the Irish supergroup. For over two decades, U2 has been one of the biggest acts in rock music. They've produced over a dozen platinum and multiplatinum records and won 15 Grammy Awards. Critics everywhere have praised the band's thoughtful, complex lyrics and the artistry of their music. A.