#44 -Joker and Stoic Philosophy (Spoiler Free)
Newsletter: https://santiyounger.com/newsletter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/santiyounger/ Website: https://santiyounger.com/ Show notes And Blog: https://santiyounger.com/44 I just watched Joker (2019) for the second time and it got me thinking about a classical philosophical debate of good and evil. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s an amazing film and I will avoid spoilers here. I started questioning weather it’s possible for someone to overcome such suffering and become virtuous on the other side. I started thinking about two different approaches towards Joker’s life situation. The first one is from the ancient Stoic philosophers. The second one is from Aristotle. Marcus: Yeah guys no spoilers, sorry I haven’t had time to watch it yet. I’ve been busy running an empire and stuff. Epictetus: Hey man, did you watch Joker? Aristotle: I’ve seen in 4 times already, damn that guy went through some tough shit. I like how we empathize with him and understand his motivations. Epictetus: Nah dude, it’s messed up, super unvirtuos, he definitely could have chosen to overcome his suffering. Aristotle: No man, apart from the mental illness and some spoilers I don’t want to give away because Marcus hasn’t seen it yet. It would be nearly impossible for him to overcome all of that shit. Epictetus: I disagree dude, but we’ll talk about it properly once Marcus watches it. Stoic Perspective Stoics say that the source of virtue is almost completely based upon the choices we make with the life circumstances we have. According to this view. A real Stoic could overcome the suffering that the character of Arthur in Joker goes through, and the Stoic would say that these external circumstances do not control the ability to live a virtuous life. Aristotle Is Less Drastic Aristotle would say that in extreme circumstances of suffering, it does make sense for the individual to struggle towards virtue or even a happy life. Not saying that Aristotle would justify the actions of Joker, but from his perspective, his internal suffering makes more sense, than it does for a Stoic. Overcoming The Darkness Is it possible to have a life as messy, complicated and messed up as the character of the Joker and turn out okay. To overcome such darkness and make something virtuous with that suffering. Of course it’s possible, there are many cases of people who have suffered great amounts and moved on with their lives with purpose and meaning moving them through life. Just A Couple Of Examples These are the people that pass on to history as role models, Maya Angelou, Viktor Frankl or Nelson Mandela. -Maya Angelou You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise! What happens to those who don’t make it through the darkness and get stuck in it? We are taught to despise them, to blame them for society problems. Yet, what’s the difference between them and our heroes? Is the answer as simple as a shift in perspective? Is it hope that moves heroes forward? Is it something more long lasting than hope? What is it that drowns criminals into the darkness? Is it despair, fear, denial? For those of us who