But should he compare her to Yeats and Donne? The beginning of Taylor Swift’s first tour for five years is a moment to consider exactly how important the singer-songwriter is.
Taylor Swift is 'great philosopher' says head
But should he compare her to Yeats and Donne? The beginning of Taylor Swift's first tour for five years is a moment to consider exactly how important the singer-songwriter is.
The pupils of Harris Westminster school settled down for assembly. What would their head teacher, James Handscombe, have to say to them today? Sometimes he quoted from from WB YeatsAn Irish poet and dramatist who is often considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th Century. or John DonneA 17th Century English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary. . But this time he chose a 33-year-old singer-songwriter - Taylor Swift.
Handscombe says he considers Swift to be "one of the greatest philosophers of the age".
One of the songs he picks out is Blank Space, with the lines: "Cause we're young and we're reckless, we'll take this way too far, It'll leave you breathless or with a nasty scar." He thinks this has an important message: being young means taking risks.
Mean, which deals with bullying, points out that we can rise above other people's hostility and make our own way in life: "Someday I'll be living in a big old city - and all you're ever going to be is mean."
Writing in The Blue and White, Phillip Kong calls Swift "a philosopher who publishes her works in the form of country and pop albums". He believes that she has gone from being "an adamantSure, certain. essentialist to a carefree existentialistA form of philosophy exploring the meaning of human existence. ".
Essentialism is the view that everything has "essential" characteristics that define it. Kong gives the example of a rabbit, which eats carrots. An animal that does not eat carrots cannot be a rabbit.
Existentialism takes the opposite point of view. It says that nothing is definite. Everyone has choices and can decide the meaning of his or her life.
Kong argues that in Swift's second album, Fearless, she takes an essentialist view of romance. In You Belong With Me, for example, she writes that "what you're looking for has been here the whole time".
But six years later, in the album 1989, she reaches what Kong considers a turning point. In Shake It Off she declares "I make the moves up as I go," suggesting that nothing is definite.
<h5 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>But should he compare her to Yeats and Donne?</strong></h5>
Yes: Like them, Swift takes on some of the deepest problems in life and has a gift for expressing herself in beautiful and thought-provoking lyrics. On top of that, she writes brilliant tunes.
No: They wrote highly complex poems in which they explored ideas in real depth. It is impossible to do that in a short song: "All you're ever going to be is mean" can hardly be called great philosophy.
Or... What really matters, according to Elon Musk, is not her philosophy but her "limbic resonance skill". This is defined as "a state of deep emotional and physiological connection between two people."
WB Yeats - An Irish poet and dramatist who is often considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th Century.
John Donne - A 17th Century English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary.
Adamant - Sure, certain.
Existentialist - A form of philosophy exploring the meaning of human existence.
Taylor Swift is ‘great philosopher’ says head

Glossary
WB Yeats - An Irish poet and dramatist who is often considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th Century.
John Donne - A 17th Century English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary.
Adamant - Sure, certain.
Existentialist - A form of philosophy exploring the meaning of human existence.