Brush up on Your True Detective Philosophy

Philosophy is deeply ingrained in True Detective’s first season, particularly the philosophy of pessimism. It’s practically personified in the character of Rust Cohle, played expertly — but apparently not award worthy — by Matthew McConaughey.

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Whether or not True Detective’s second season will contain as much philosophy has yet to be seen, but we there are ways to study up on season one. Take, for example, this essay published on The Quarterly Conversation.

Even though it was published back in December, it’s still a great way to take a critical eye the philosophies on display in True Detective.

Besides exploring nihilism, pessimism and noir, it also looks into the author Thomas Ligotti. Ligotti was brought temporarily into the spotlight when True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto was accused of plagiarizing him.

It’s a read that’s definitely wroth your time if you even still have a minuscule amount of curiosity towards the philosophies of True Detective.

There are many sources out there already stating that True Detective’s second season will be very different from the first. It’s wise not to expect the same regardless, but we don’t yet know what “different” really means.

Philosophy was very important to the first season of True Detective but it may not be important, or perhaps not as important, to the second. Until we know more, however, it doesn’t hurt to look back to the first to try to better understand the core of the first season.

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