Knowledge Base

Paul Newman in his stoically comedic and inspiring role

Prime mover of American Trancendentalism

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

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

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

The Coen brothers’ insightful look at capitalism and creativity

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

Relatively unsung hero of the Beat movement

Author and seminal progenitor of the 1960s counterculture

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

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

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

Entertaining and earnest western popularizer of Zen and Taoism

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

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

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

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

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

Thoreau’s timeless meditation on living in harmony with nature

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

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

The cutup emerges victorious in this paean to believing in yourself

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

Classic movie about individuality and freedom in the 1960s

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

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

American philosopher and humorist

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

The seminal book that explained Dudeism to the world.

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

Surreal and sentimental, but transcendent look at life

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

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

Introduced the Little Tramp, the original lovable anti-hero

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

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

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

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

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

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

John C. Parkin’s profanely profound look at spirituality

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

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

Classic modern stoner comedy that redefined the genre

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

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