There is a lot of children's entertainment that is truly inane and a disservice to the development of their minds. There are also lots of "grown-up books" that are perfectly approachable by smart young people. But I think there are also stories--sometimes beautiful and well-done stories--aimed predominately at kids, that justifiably simplify or omit certain complexities of adult life. These aren't bad, but adults should come to recognize that they don't paint the full picture.
Well done. My only quibble, and this doesn't impact the Epicurean points, is the line "The world used to be a comic book, with stories fit for children." I'm a big fan of the medium of comics, from Maus to Derf's masterful Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio and many other "comic books" written for an adult audience. So, when comic books (or, if one likes, "graphic novels") are equated with children and simplistic stories, it does a disservice to the medium and the creators and strengthens a stereotype. I would have preferred "the world used to be a fairy tale" as the metaphor, but that's the only thing that took me out of your flow of ideas. Keep up the good work!
Glad you liked the post! Maybe I am not up to date with the current preferred jargon, but I would have thought of the works you mention as "graphic novels." What I had in mind with "comic book" were simplistic superhero stories and the like, where I tend to still see that term. No disparagement of graphic novels was intended! (This is also not to say that simple stories don't have their place, although ideally they won't displace more nuanced perspectives from the culture of adults of normal education.)
So I glad I found your work. I loved Lucretius in college back in the 80’s, just never connected it to Epicurus, and I have always been at odds with the modern Stoic bandwagon.
Then find out Jefferson felt the similarly, and I also find it very compatible with Daoism and Rand, though she would balk at the comparison.
My crude take so far.
Human happiness is the goal of existence, and the only way to achieve this in a society is to ardently protect individual rights and expression, and for individuals to understand how the universe works, and follow its patterns and rhythms, not doing so, leads to anxiety, worry, i.e. suffering.
It also does a disservice to children, they are far more capable, or many are, than we give them credit for.
There is a lot of children's entertainment that is truly inane and a disservice to the development of their minds. There are also lots of "grown-up books" that are perfectly approachable by smart young people. But I think there are also stories--sometimes beautiful and well-done stories--aimed predominately at kids, that justifiably simplify or omit certain complexities of adult life. These aren't bad, but adults should come to recognize that they don't paint the full picture.
Well done. My only quibble, and this doesn't impact the Epicurean points, is the line "The world used to be a comic book, with stories fit for children." I'm a big fan of the medium of comics, from Maus to Derf's masterful Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio and many other "comic books" written for an adult audience. So, when comic books (or, if one likes, "graphic novels") are equated with children and simplistic stories, it does a disservice to the medium and the creators and strengthens a stereotype. I would have preferred "the world used to be a fairy tale" as the metaphor, but that's the only thing that took me out of your flow of ideas. Keep up the good work!
Glad you liked the post! Maybe I am not up to date with the current preferred jargon, but I would have thought of the works you mention as "graphic novels." What I had in mind with "comic book" were simplistic superhero stories and the like, where I tend to still see that term. No disparagement of graphic novels was intended! (This is also not to say that simple stories don't have their place, although ideally they won't displace more nuanced perspectives from the culture of adults of normal education.)
So I glad I found your work. I loved Lucretius in college back in the 80’s, just never connected it to Epicurus, and I have always been at odds with the modern Stoic bandwagon.
Then find out Jefferson felt the similarly, and I also find it very compatible with Daoism and Rand, though she would balk at the comparison.
My crude take so far.
Human happiness is the goal of existence, and the only way to achieve this in a society is to ardently protect individual rights and expression, and for individuals to understand how the universe works, and follow its patterns and rhythms, not doing so, leads to anxiety, worry, i.e. suffering.