Yesterday, accusations began to fly that sensitive guy Nic Pizzolatto may have lifted some of True Detective from the philosophical tome The Conspiracy Against the Human Race, by Thomas Ligotti. The charges were made by Ligotti enthusiast (or maybe just True Detective hater) Jon Padgett, and it seemed like merely a matter of time before Pizzolatto would be forced to respond.
And now, the time has come.
Here is a statement, as issued by HBO:
‘True Detective’ is a work of exceptional originality and the story, plot, characters and dialogue are that of Nic Pizzolatto. Philosophical concepts are free for anyone to use, including writers of fiction, and there have been many such examples in the past. Exploring and engaging with ideas and themes that philosophers and novelists have wrestled with over time is one of the show’s many strengths -- we stand by the show, its writing and Nic Pizzolatto entirely.
Because he has to remind us how smart he is, Pizzolatto also responded by describing all the other philosophers he has read and used to influence his work:
Nothing in the television show 'True Detective' was plagiarized. The philosophical thoughts expressed by Rust Cohle do not represent any thought or idea unique to any one author; rather these are the philosophical tenets of a pessimistic, anti-natalist philosophy with an historic tradition including Arthur Schopenauer, Friedrich Nietzche, E.M. Cioran, and various other philosophers, all of whom express these ideas. As an autodidact pessimist, Cohle speaks toward that philosophy with erudition and in his own words. The ideas within this philosophy are certainly not exclusive to any writer.
Um, Nic? I’ve been telling my friends that Matthew McConaughey’s Cole is an “autodidact pessimist” since the show came out. Why are you stealing my material?
I kid, I kid. I think what I said was that Rust Cohle is like Wooderson from Dazed and Confused, only way, way sadder. But basically, the same thing.
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[via Indiewire]
