Knowledge Base

Classic movie about individuality and freedom in the 1960s

Prime mover of American Trancendentalism

Thoreau’s timeless meditation on living in harmony with nature

Alan Watts’ final book, and perhaps his most powerful. Covers Taoism with wit and insight.

An esoteric branch of Christianity that places emphasis on the mystic path of the seeking individual, rather than via a…

Once one of the most popular Western philosophies, and a cornerstone of Dudeism.

Introduced the Little Tramp, the original lovable anti-hero

A philosophy that states that the morally correct action is that which produces the most good.

Surreal and sentimental, but transcendent look at life

The founder of Cynicism, which is not as cynical (by today’s definition) as it sounds. It’s actually pretty life-affirmi…

The painter of “happy little trees” accidentally became a spiritual counselor to millions

Viktor Frankl’s philosophy was formed in the furnace of the Holocaust. If he could survive that, we can survive lesser d…

Editor of the Idler Magazine and founder of London’s Idler Academy, Hodgkinson provides pedigreed instructions on how to…

The highest profile book of the Beat Generation and still one of its most relevant today

Classic modern stoner comedy that redefined the genre

Relatively unsung hero of the Beat movement

Paul Newman in his stoically comedic and inspiring role

One of the 20th century’s most philosophical and humanistic musicians

John C. Parkin’s profanely profound look at spirituality

Entertaining and earnest western popularizer of Zen and Taoism

The Coen brothers’ insightful look at capitalism and creativity

The Ancient Greek philosophy that posited that the way to happiness was not to hold any fixed judgments

The real dude behind the Dude is a real Dude in real life

Bill Murray investigates Nietzsche’s philosophy of eternal recurrence. Well, sort of.

The seminal book that explained Dudeism to the world.

The oldest currently-existing mass religion in the world has been misunderstood and transmogrified, but it contains one…

Hoff ingeniously employed the classic Pooh children’s tales to help illustrate Taoism for the modern man (or bear).

The grand overarching philosophy of which the poses (asanas) are only a small part

Wes Nisker’s classic tome on spirituality, widsom, comedy and craziness.

Mel Brooks’ groundbreaking film of potty humor hid trenchant commentary in its volatile stew

The cutup emerges victorious in this paean to believing in yourself

Going with the flow is not just a hippie injunction: It’s a full-on science, one which looks at the root of what it is t…

The spiritual sect of which the famous poet Rumi was an adherent.

The religion for those opposed to religion is a lot of fun and helps to illuminate the shortcomings of many human belief…

Author and seminal progenitor of the 1960s counterculture

Hitchhiked his way into our hearts with his deep and hilarious novels

Though mistaken for overindulgence today, Hedonism was a rational approach to life that, like Epicureanism, was far deep…

One of the most philosophical comedians in history, and a major proponent for freedom of speech.

The American school of philosophy that gave rise to great writers and thinkers like Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman

The paragon of Dudeliness, even if he isn’t a real person

American philosopher and humorist

The version of Buddhism that aimed to jettison dogma and consequently appealed to Western intellectuals.

Jeff Bridges’ and his Zen teacher Bernie Glassman’s enlightening dudecratic dialogue on The Big Lebowski and Zen

This double entry covers two similar ancient Greek philosophies, both of which counseled simpler ways of living

Bill Murray’s unique adaptation of the Somerset Maugham tale of a spiritual seeker

Pema Chodron, one of the foremost Western Buddhist teachers helps make Buddhism accessible and practical

The smartest dude in history is also one of the most easygoing