Tool doesnt have a coherent philosophy, it seems to be a mesh of ideas to get people talking and thinking. Actually, i thought you would approve of Tools lyrics being a Christian most of the religion bashing seems to be about the mistreatment of religion like the televangalist type depicted in Opiate and the general emphasis seems to be getting people to think about ideas of a higher power and finding their own way to it; as it says in Right in Two "Repungent is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of our fleeting time here."

Yeah Tool are a rock band, thats all, but they are a rarity within this medium as they offer much more substance with much more eloquence than most. I think as long as the ideas are positive it does not matter where people find meaning. If Tool wrote books instead of music would people be going "Its only a book"? Books are accepted as life changing, rock music is looked down upon as inferior and adolescent, but one can have as much impact as the other in the right hands, its all a matter of perspective. I know the band have impacted on my life as they spurned an interest in science, religion and philosophy which seems unquenchable, I love reading about how other people see the world - I may not agree with alot of it but I love the diversity of peoples and ideas. I have Tool to thank for this as they bought a romantiscism to what seemed so boring in school and college. To have a commercially viable form of entainment that actually ecourages and manages to make people want to think and (shock! horror!) learn is such a rare thing these days especially as books sales gradually decrease. Yeah i finished my suck up fanboy rant now...oh wait you already stopped reading...