Philosophies in Modern Storytelling: Part I

Storytelling has reached completely new levels in the past century. Through movies and television, stories can be told in such complex ways with intricate nuance. As part of a three part series, this article will examine two philosophies: Epicureanism and Stoicism and the roles they’ve played in shaping modern stories.

Epicureanism

Epicureanism is famous for distinguishing pleasure as the summum bonum, or highest good. I could think of no better literary example than The Hobbit to exemplify the philosophy of Epicureanism. But, “what is a hobbit?” any non-Tolkien-nerd may ask. Hobbits are much like smaller humans (around 3 feet tall), but with large, hairy feet (they don’t wear shoes), curly hair, and they live in a western region of the fictional realm called the Shire which is secluded from the darker, more dangerous areas. Most importantly, their philosophy of life revolves around pleasure, relaxation, and luxury. They drink expensive wines, tend their gardens, give and receive gifts at parties, and live in homes called Hobbit-holes which are built into the hillsides. 

Pleasure, however, hasn’t been a common choice among philosophers as the summum bonum. Philosophers like Aristotle and Stoics such as Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus chose virtue, thinking it to be a more sophisticated purpose. In fact, the Roman poet Horace started the trend of referring to Epicureans as “pigs” for their lowly philosophy about pleasure, saying “Epicuri de grege porcum” (a pig from Epicurus’s herd)! 

Epicurus explains his philosophy in his “Letter to Menoeceus” 

“When, therefore, we maintain that pleasure is the end, we do not mean the pleasures of profligates and those that consist in sensuality, as is supposed by some who are either ignorant or disagree with us or do not understand, but freedom from pain in the body and from trouble in the mind. For it is not continuous drinkings and revellings, nor the satisfaction of lusts, nor the enjoyment of fish and other luxuries of the wealthy table, which produce a pleasant life, but sober reasoning, searching out the motives for all choice and avoidance, and banishing mere opinions, to which are due the greatest disturbance of the spirit.”

Epicurus remarks this, distinguishing his philosophy from the negative reputation of Hedonism.

Stoicism

When Luke Skywalker crash-landed his X-Wing Fighter in the murky swamps of the Dagobah system, little did he expect that the animal-like creature scavenging through his emergency supply food was one of the greatest stoic philosophers in the Star Wars series. The best of Yoda’s Stoic teachings, however, come from the prequel trilogy. 

Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker was born as a slave on the sandy desert-planet Tatooine. He grows up in the Outer-Rim territory, a lawless haven for criminals and slave traders. In terms of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, this period of Anakin’s upbringing constitutes the “Ordinary World,” which is a fitting description. He works as a mechanic at a broken-parts shop, fixing engines, droids, and other junk. Out of the blue, two jedis named Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan visit Anakin, freeing him from slavery. Anakin meets a girl named Padme and falls in love at first sight, only nine years old. 

Years later, when Anakin is on the precipice of adulthood, Anakin dreams of his mother in danger. He returns to Tatooine to find her captured by a group of raiders, and she dies upon his visit. He vows never to let this happen again, marrying Padme (secretly) shortly after. Another dream-like vision comes to him, this time about his wife. Now’s where the philosophy comes into play. He seeks Yoda for advice. 

“Premonitions?” Yoda says. “Hmm. These visions you have. They’re of pain, suffering, death. … Careful, you must be, Anakin. The fear of loss is a path to the dark side. Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is. (...) Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.” - Yoda, Star Wars Episode III, Revenge of The Sith

Naturally, this is not what Anakin wanted to hear. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus echoes Yoda’s bitter message in the very beginning of The Enchiridion (a Stoic book literally translating to “handbook” from the Greek “Ἐγχειρίδιον” as it was intended to be carried around as a source of everyday guidance). He offers the exact same advice as Yoda: 

“If you wish your children, and your wife, and your friends to live forever, you are stupid; for you wish to be in control of things which you cannot, you wish for things that belong to others to be your own.” Epictetus - The Enchiridion

It is for this reason that Stoicism can be relatively offputting or disconcerting for modern readers. It seems very inhuman to love others in this shallow, self-preserving way. Many thinkers argue against Stoicism, such as Julien Offray de La Mettrie, a French Enlightenment philosopher who famously compared Stoicism to a mind-altering drug, something people use to numb themselves to pain and escape reality. 

While I agree with this stance, I still think Stoicism has some good ideas that can be embraced now and again - just not as a whole lifestyle. Epictetus says, 

“Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.”

With this, he illustrates what is called the Stoic “Dichotomy of Control.” In essence, it’s about differentiating between what’s important and what’s unimportant, and only worrying about what’s important. Everything else is just a waste of time and energy. 

Going back to Star Wars, this is Yoda’s point. Some things are outside of Anakin’s control, so it is better to just “let go.” Overall, to anyone interested in Stoicism, I would highly recommend Aristotle, particularly the Nicomachean Ethics, as a more moderate alternative.