Nick Riggle: On Being Awesome

Literati is excited to welcome Nick Riggle to discuss his new book On Being Awesome.

About One Being Awesome:
A lively philosophical exploration of the competing pheonomena of being awesome and sucking, and why we need awesomeness now more than ever

In this original, fun, and slyly helpful investigation of a thoroughly modern condition, pro-skater-turned-philospher Nick Riggle argues that our collective interest in being awesome (and not sucking) marks a new era in American culture, one that is shaped by relatively recent social, cultural and technological shifts. At the core of his work is the idea that awesome people are those who excel at creating social openings. Sucky people, by contrast, are those who foil such attempts. To be cool, down, game, basic, wack, or a preference dictator are just a handful of ways we can create these openings, respond, or fail to be awesome in the office, at home, or with our friends and loved ones.

Can introverts be awesome? How do our expectations of awesome relate to race, gender and sexuality? And what can the invention of the high five tell us about the origins of awesome? These are just a few of the questions Riggle explores. An accessible, philosophical road trip through the ethics of our time, On Being Awesome provides a new and inspiring framework for understanding friendship, success, and happiness in our everyday lives.

Nick Riggle dropped out of high school to become a pro-skater, participating in stunt shows, demos, and world class competitions (including three ESPN X-Games). Riggle has a BA in philosophy from UC Berkeley and a PhD from NYU, America’s leading philosophy program; he currently works as a philosophy professor at the University of San Diego. He speaks widely at conferences and workshops and is the organizer for the first major academic conference on street art and graffiti. He continues to publish in key and notable philosophical publications as well as more popular outlets including McSweeney’s, Aeon (on the high five, awesomeness and suckiness), and Hyperallergic. His current academic work focuses on the role of aesthetics in human life and is supported by a grant from The Experience Project, a 4.8 million dollar, three-year initiative at UNC Chapel Hill and the University of Notre Dame.