Bill Watterson is one of my favorite philosophers. I love the wit, approachable commentary on life, and overall positive messages found in his masterpiece that is Calvin & Hobbes. I first started reading them in the fifth grade, simply because I liked the illustrations and the idea of a young boy whose best friend was a stuffed animal who came to life. (That might have had something to do with the fact that I was a Beanie Babies fanboy, one of my favorite being a tiger named Stripes.) I remember when the book shipped to my elementary school with the other books my classmates had ordered from the Scholastic Book Magazine— and how my teacher, Mr. Liebsch, picked it off the pile, threw his feet up onto the desk and started reading. Every few minutes he'd laugh, until finally he reluctantly said, "Okay, Jon. Here you go." It struck me then — the fact that a stern teacher, an adult, could love Calvin & Hobbes. Yes, it was the jokes — the well aimed water balloon, the out-of-control red wagon on a suicidally-steep hill, the forkful of flung vegetables — but I quickly realized it was also the ideas that they contained.
I think Watterson explores similar themes to those of Dr. Suess, but in a way that's tailored as much for adults as for kids — and in a much more straightforward way. Questions about the future, which is a scary unknown to Calvin for many episodes, about friendship, about how to communicate with your parents, and even about right and wrong — Calvin & Hobbes tackle all of these conundrums and more. The main theme though, at least for me, is that the world is a big place and you can spend a whole lifetime exploring it and learning more.
Here's to philosophy in the form of good-natured humor and great illustrations. {JG}
I think Watterson explores similar themes to those of Dr. Suess, but in a way that's tailored as much for adults as for kids — and in a much more straightforward way. Questions about the future, which is a scary unknown to Calvin for many episodes, about friendship, about how to communicate with your parents, and even about right and wrong — Calvin & Hobbes tackle all of these conundrums and more. The main theme though, at least for me, is that the world is a big place and you can spend a whole lifetime exploring it and learning more.
Here's to philosophy in the form of good-natured humor and great illustrations. {JG}
