For those who were not aware of the children’s television juggernaut that is Adventure Time, I pity you. Here, allow me to introduce you to a character who appeared in this week's episode and is relevant to the topic at hand.
Per the clip, Magic Man is an incredibly powerful wizard who wanders the land teaching generous individuals (i.e. those who have succumbed to Nietzsche’s proposed ‘slavish lie’ of weakness being moral) “magical life lessons” which aim to yield only the conclusion that “he’s just a big jerk” (the episode's conclusion). Magic Man seems to embrace his identity as a Nietzscheian bird of prey, exerting his will and using his power as he sees fit apart from the slavish moral quandaries which would plague “sissy do-gooders” (as he calls them). In evaluating his character, there are two divergent paths one might take. The first is to assume that Magic Man’s ‘evil’ (in terms of slave values) is recognized as such by him and that he psychopathically seeks to do evil. The other option is that Magic Man does not recognize himself as taking a moral position when he acts (a property of noble values). We as viewers cannot know the character’s rationale for his actions (or perhaps you’re someone who doesn’t take dumb cartoons too seriously and you had no desire to know) and so here lies the problem, not with Nietzsche’s argument, but with the consequences of it: the actions and effects of the psychopath and the one who embraces noble values are in cases identical. People have accused those who have committed atrocities in this world of perverting Nietzsche, however in this (albeit fictional) case, adherence to Nietzsche’s philosophy also produces pain and suffering. It goes without saying (at least according to our apparent slave mentality) that Bashar Al-Assad should not be allowed to continue exerting his will against the Syrian people, but not according to the conclusions of Nietzsche. Perhaps as we wait for a supposed ‘peaceful solution’ in the weeks to come Al-Assad will take the opportunity to bring up a Nietzschian defense of his actions, accusing the moratorium on chemical weapons of being a sinister tool of the slave class’ power restriction initiatives or claiming that 'the subject' is a myth and he should not be punished for his will since he is inseparable from it and therefore not morally culpable for it. I imagine whatever happens, he’ll react as he has so far, like Magic Man.
I believe there is a problem with Magic Man being a perfect example of Good in the Noble Value System, in that he torments those who are far weaker than him. It is plain from when the citizens of Freak City come together, Magic Man still is not in any danger from them. It follows that when he originally cursed him, they were probably just as much as a non-threat. A good noble would not lower himself to fight with those who are so much weaker than himself, but instead looks for worthy opponents and fights them for the sake of his own benefit and glory.
ReplyDeleteMagic Man instead seeks out those who are weak, but generous, and tries to teach them a lesson. Even though we might see him as being a jerk (and indeed, he himself seems to agree with the sentiment), he still persists in that he is teaching them something important and it would not be too much of a leap to think that he sees some moral value in the teachings. There is something slavish in it: I may be a jerk, but I'm also teaching you a lesson, and, you who are sissy-do-gooders, are now better for my lesson. He also is shown to be quite cowardly when he flees his brother instead of trying to fight him.
However, I believe that Magic Man being an example of what happens when someone perverts the ideas Nietzsche is arguing as "I do what I want, because I can" is spot on here. Magic Man puts his whims above everything else and seems to cause pain for the sake of feeling superior (perhaps in response to an implied tragedy from the past). As mentioned above, this is not in a way that would be considered good under a proper noble value system. It is very much reactive to his own pain and weakness, despite how he tries to portray himself as strong.
I agree with Emily that Magic Man is not Good in the Noble Value System. Like she said, the citizens of Freak City are inferior and therefore, not worthy opponents. That is not considered Good but he does fight worthy opponents in addition to the Freak City citizens. Finn and Jake are undoubtedly on Magic Man's level if not above it. Finn and Jake defend Magic Man's victims and always put up a strong fight. Magic Man does not necessarily fight the pair by choice, so maybe Finn and Jake are the ones who are Good in the Noble Value System. Magic Man is a worthy opponent and they fight him in order to protect others and they seek revenge through action. If Magic Man is a worthy opponent for Finn and Jake, does that automatically make Magic Man equal to them and considered Good as well or can opponents be of a different status and still be worthy?
ReplyDeleteI believe Magic Man fits in the Slave Value System. He teaches lessons but is a "big jerk". His actions appear to be aimed at making himself feel superior but maybe he is not trying to overpower others rather teach them lessons so that by having common knowledge, Magic Man and his victims are more equal. Magic Man is insecure and instead of trying to prove he is strong, he wants to show he is good. His lessons are good but he over-compensates his desire to teach them that he ends up fighting the others until they learn. He has desire to be good but deep down he is a unhappy jerk. Does his attempt to be good overpower his natural meanness? His creation of values would come from the outside, seeing as his insecurities are probably due to earlier life events, which is slavish. Those externally developed values drive Magic Man so I do not think he is Good in the Noble Value System but his lessons defend him against being classified as Bad.