Author Foreword:
Thanks to you all for all your patience! We're finally getting onto the philosophical stuff! And what better way than to start with my one of my favorite movies of 2016: Finding Dory!! This will be a 2 part series: The first part being two segments about Soren Kierkegaard's "knight of faith" and how it ties into the movie, and the second part about the different types of love shown throughout the film. Although I started this particular post sometime in November shortly after I watched the film, I'm just now posting this on New Year's Eve, so I wish you all a happy New Year! Stay FREE everyone!
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My Childhood
When Finding Nemo came out in 2003 (GOSH I FEEL OLD!!!!), I had to go see it in theaters. I remember, as a 2nd grader (you're welcome for telling you my age), I was just so mesmerized by the colors, the animation, the score, the story...it was all so wonderfully done that even a kid could tell that this was an A-grade movie--it has a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, by the way. I even got it on DVD--and no, my parents didn't buy me very many DVD's, so that's how good I thought it was! And then, of course, who could forget Dory?
I remember being so impacted by Dory that for the next week, I pretended I had short term memory loss (which we millennials all know now as anterograde amnesia #themoreyouknow). So when I found out two years that Finding Dory was going to be a thing, I was excited--actually, I was ecstatic! I was so ready to push little kids out of the way because this was the sequel I waited 13 years to see...THIRTEEN!! That's, like, the lifespan of a whole middle schooler who was "excited" to see this movie! And when I finally saw it....let's just say it should be a crime to bring a man to tears like that. (JUST LOOK AT THAT FACE!!! LOOK. AT. IT!!!)
I know I'm droning, but hear me out because Pixar actually has a lot to teach us through this film!
I mean, the main theme of Finding Nemo is obvious: Not even an ocean can stand in the way of parental love. (I'll be exploring the topic of love in Part 2!) First, let me thank all of my grade school English teachers who taught me why the author choosing the blue curtains mattered, because the devil in Finding Dory's theme is all in the details! These details reveal philosophers among Pixar's team--philosophers who must be Kierkegaard fans. Upon noticing this, Finding Dory, for me, was a kid friendly movie that reminded me that although rationality is important and against every philosophical intuition I have, having faith is essential as well, especially when it is apparent that not all of the answers or odds line up.
I mean, the main theme of Finding Nemo is obvious: Not even an ocean can stand in the way of parental love. (I'll be exploring the topic of love in Part 2!) First, let me thank all of my grade school English teachers who taught me why the author choosing the blue curtains mattered, because the devil in Finding Dory's theme is all in the details! These details reveal philosophers among Pixar's team--philosophers who must be Kierkegaard fans. Upon noticing this, Finding Dory, for me, was a kid friendly movie that reminded me that although rationality is important and against every philosophical intuition I have, having faith is essential as well, especially when it is apparent that not all of the answers or odds line up.
Søren Kierkegaard
Background Info
Let's quickly get into some philosophy before discussing the movie! Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher who is highly regarded as the first existentialist although the term wasn't coined until 90 years after his death. Unlike his contemporaries at the time, such as Hegel and Clifford, as well as earlier philosophers such as Descartes, Kierkegaard was not concerned with certainty; in fact, almost seemingly counter-intuitive to the stereotype of philosophers, Kierkegaard was skeptical of certainty and championed faith.
In his Fear and Trembling under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio, Kierkegaard explored the
story of Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac. (If you're unfamiliar with the story or need a refresher, it's Genesis 22:1-14. Otherwise, here's a summary on Kierkegaard's analysis.) When you think back at the story, remember how Abraham doesn't hesitate the whole way through--he looks at that mountain the whole journey, he (seemingly) responds calmly to Isaac's question, his hand isn't trembling when he grabs the knife, and he does not hesitate in bringing it down. It's a beautiful story for us who have heard it a million times because we all know how it ends: The angel comes to stop Abraham, and he coincidentally finds a young goat to sacrifice instead. However, according to Kierkegaard, if that's all you got from the story, you've missed the whole point.
In fact, this story should keep you up at night! But Johannes de Silentio can't just flat out give you the secret to the story, so instead, he changes up some detail in the story to show you what it would look like if Abraham hesitated in any way. But I'm not Johannes, so I'll just tell you: Just imagine if this was anyone else in the modern era. The story would be all over the news, and we'd think Abraham a freaking madman! But guess what: Abraham is praised among all three major monotheistic religions as the "father in faith." A FATHER!! This guy is revered! Not only that, but Isaac does not lose his faith in a God Who called for his death! Something must be special about this "faith" thing, and Kierkegaard wants to know what it is.
story of Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac. (If you're unfamiliar with the story or need a refresher, it's Genesis 22:1-14. Otherwise, here's a summary on Kierkegaard's analysis.) When you think back at the story, remember how Abraham doesn't hesitate the whole way through--he looks at that mountain the whole journey, he (seemingly) responds calmly to Isaac's question, his hand isn't trembling when he grabs the knife, and he does not hesitate in bringing it down. It's a beautiful story for us who have heard it a million times because we all know how it ends: The angel comes to stop Abraham, and he coincidentally finds a young goat to sacrifice instead. However, according to Kierkegaard, if that's all you got from the story, you've missed the whole point.
.jpg/1280px-Sacrifice_of_Isaac-Caravaggio_(Uffizi).jpg) |
| PC: Wikimedia Commons Artist: Caravaggio |
The Argument
For Kierkegaard, there are three different realms: the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious, and each type is depicted by the frog, the knight of inifinite resignation, and the knight of faith, respectively. Each person in those specific types, in addition, is interested in something specific and shapes his/her life around that interest.
Aesthetic/Frog
The aesthetic is depicted by a frog in a swamp: All the frog really cares about is the swamp and his own business as to what would please him. Ultimately, the frog knows only its own swamp and really only cares for its own swamp.
Obviously, most people are aesthetics: These people really only care for their own businesses/advancements and make life decisions based on the likelihood for that advancement. Whether it is caused by a base, primal desire or a deeper appreciation for something, the aesthete attempts to connect the individual to that thing/experience.
Kierkegaard's example is of a peasant who falls in love with a princess. However, he gives up this love because it is impossible, thinking that a marriage to a rich man's daughter is just as good.
Obviously, most people are aesthetics: These people really only care for their own businesses/advancements and make life decisions based on the likelihood for that advancement. Whether it is caused by a base, primal desire or a deeper appreciation for something, the aesthete attempts to connect the individual to that thing/experience.
Kierkegaard's example is of a peasant who falls in love with a princess. However, he gives up this love because it is impossible, thinking that a marriage to a rich man's daughter is just as good.
Ethical/Knight of Infinite Resignation
When a person has reached the realm of the ethical, she has broken the desire to connect to her individual perception; instead, there is the desire to express ideas and perform deeds based on morality or the universal. In other words, she will infinitely resign herself from what she wills for the greater good or, knowing that this world is not unjust, for the sake of being rewarded in another life--specifically for Kierkegaard who was a Christian, Heaven.
For Kierkegaard, the aesthetic realm and the ethical realm are two separate realms--for obvious reason. To juxtapose, while the aesthete connects the individual to something (as stated above), the Knight of Infinite Resignation (KOIR) detaches the individual and replaces the universal to connect with the thing/experience. In addition, the former is a lower realm than the latter. For these reasons, only one realm can be occupied at one time. To continue the love story example, the ethical peasant maintains his love for the princess but acknowledges that this love is futile in this life. The key is his expectation in another life.
So what makes the Knight of Faith (KOF) so special? If the aesthete connects the individual and the ethical the universal, then what is left for the religious person to connect?
For Kierkegaard, the aesthetic realm and the ethical realm are two separate realms--for obvious reason. To juxtapose, while the aesthete connects the individual to something (as stated above), the Knight of Infinite Resignation (KOIR) detaches the individual and replaces the universal to connect with the thing/experience. In addition, the former is a lower realm than the latter. For these reasons, only one realm can be occupied at one time. To continue the love story example, the ethical peasant maintains his love for the princess but acknowledges that this love is futile in this life. The key is his expectation in another life.
So what makes the Knight of Faith (KOF) so special? If the aesthete connects the individual and the ethical the universal, then what is left for the religious person to connect?
Religious/Knight of Faith
God. That is who is left. A peasant who is a knight of faith, though he too recognizes the futility of his love for the princess in this life, he, unlike the other two, pursues his love, acknowledging that nothing is impossible for God.
Why is Johannes called "de Silentio?" It is because the person who inhabits the religious realm more accurately inhabits both the aesthetic and ethical realms; in other words, the knight of faith connects both himself (the individual) and the universal to his experiences; thus we have a paradox. Johannes, therefore, cannot describe this paradox head-on but, rather, must dance around it by describing what faith is not.
Why is Johannes called "de Silentio?" It is because the person who inhabits the religious realm more accurately inhabits both the aesthetic and ethical realms; in other words, the knight of faith connects both himself (the individual) and the universal to his experiences; thus we have a paradox. Johannes, therefore, cannot describe this paradox head-on but, rather, must dance around it by describing what faith is not.
So then why is the book called Fear and Trembling? Recall the story of Abraham and Isaac. I hinted at it earlier, but it is not enough to describe faith simply by saying Abraham did not fear and tremble; just saying that does not keep people up at night. Johannes, therefore, narrates four different scenarios in which Abraham does fear and tremble, each time placing Abraham in either the aesthetic or the universal realm. What this shows is that if God had asked an aesthetic person or ethical person to kill Isaac, the job would not have been done. For someone who has heard the story with the ending often, one might think that Abraham is doing it for the greater good...but he is not.
A story of sacrificing a child for the greater good is the ancient Greek story of King Agamemnon: In order to defend Greece from Troy, Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter to the gods to ensure his fleet's arrival to Troy. Although Agamemnon had both aesthetic and ethical reasons to spare his daughter--aesthetic because he loves her and ethical because it is a father's duty to protect his child--he instead gives in to the greater ethical duty for a king to protect his people. This is the tragedy in this Greek tragedy.
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| PC: Troy (2004 film) |
Like Agamemnon, Abraham has the ethical duty of protecting his child. But he is commanded by God to kill his son, and, thus, he was fully willing to commit the deed. However, what makes him faithful is that he knew he would bring his son home. He walked for three days, fully trusting in God, knowing full well that he could not explain to neither Sarah nor Isaac about what it is he was about to do and why. He could only demonstrate it by raising the blade without hesitation. It was at that moment that he became a knight of faith. Thus, he became an example to his wife and son, his grandson, Israel, and, therefore, a whole nation.
So how does all of this relate to Finding Dory? Find out next time as I describe how some of the main characters fit perfectly into Kierkegaard's realms!
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