Arrested Development and Philosophy

They've Made a Huge Mistake

Kristopher G. Phillips, J. Jeremy Wisnewski, Kristopher G. Phillips, J. Jeremy Wisnewski, William Irwin

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780470575598
• eBook ISBN: 9781118146262
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Philosophy History & Theory

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT AND PHILOSOPHY

Is George Michael's crush on his cousin unnatural?
Is it immoral for Lindsay to lie about stealing clothes to hide her job?
Is Gob better off living his life in bad faith?
What inferences can we draw from Tobias's double-entendres?
Are the pictures really of bunkers or balls?

The Bluth family's faults, foibles, and character flaws are so excruciatingly familiar that we squirm in painful recognition of the outrageous impulses that we all have but would never act on. The Bluths seem utterly unaware of the gaping distance between their behavior and accepted social norms. Lurking behind this craziness are large moral and philosophical issues to be explored. From Plato to Aristotle, from Descartes to Marx, Arrested Development and Philosophy draws from great philosophical minds to shed new light on the show's key questions and captivating themes, including the nature of self-knowledge and happiness, business ethics and capitalist alienation, social class, the role of error in character development, and much more.

PART ONE

FAMILY FIRST

Chapter 1

IS THE EXAMINED LIFE A HUGE MISTAKE?

Happiness, Self-Knowledge, and the Bluths

Jason Southworth and Ruth Tallman

Ignorance is bliss—or is it? While you hear that little nugget of folk wisdom fairly often, some people desire the truth regardless of the repercussions. On the side of ignorance, George Michael decides not to tell Maeby that she’s adopted (she’s really not) because he thinks she is happier believing she is her parents’ biological child.1 Michael chooses not to tell George Michael that he slept with his ethics teacher (after George Michael professed his love for Ms. Barely), because George Michael is happier not knowing.2 Yet, on the side of truth, George Sr. escapes from a Mexican prison only to go home to verify his wife’s relationship with his brother.3 So what makes us happier, ignorance or knowledge?

For centuries, analrapists and philosophers have come down on the side of knowledge. I mean, we philosophers really need to know the truth (about everything!); we need to know so badly that we even need you to need to know. If you don’t, we’re unhappy. On the other side of the debate is. . . basically everyone else. Sure, when we’re feeling uncharitable we’ll point to the MR. Fs and “moron jocks” (Steve Holt (!)) who prefer ignorance, but when we’re being fair, philosophers will admit that there are plenty of smart people who seem to think we’re wrong about self-knowledge being the key to happiness. Since there are no smart people on television, let’s take the Bluths as our guides in reconsidering whether ignorance really is bliss.

The Life of Arrested Development Is Not Worth Living

Plato (428/427 bce–348/347 bce) is the most famous proponent of the view that self-awareness is the hallmark of a happy person. In his account of the trial and death of his mentor, Socrates (c. 469 bce–399 bce), Plato depicts a man who thought pursuing the truth about himself, others, and the world was the most important thing anybody could ever do—indeed, that it was worth dying for (would any member of the Bluth family do that?). Socrates spent his life trying to convince those around him to reflect on their lives and on their values, and to think critically about the kinds of people they were. This comes through clearly in his rebuke of the accusers at his trial: “Are you not ashamed that you give your attention to acquiring as much money as possible, and similarly with reputation and honour, and give no attention or thought to truth and understanding and the perfection of your soul?”4

Socrates’s actions made him an enemy of many in Athens (no one likes to be told they’re behaving badly). Despite the lack of support, and outright hostility of many, Socrates continued to reflect on his own life and urged others to do the same, saying, “Examining both myself and others is really the very best thing that a man can do, and that life without this sort of examination is not worth living.”5 Eventually, the people of Athens had enough and gave Socrates a choice—stop with the philosophy or face the death penalty. If this seems like an awfully strict punishment, you might not realize just how obnoxious Socrates could be.

Facing death, he had this to say: “You are mistaken, my friend, if you think that a man who is worth anything ought to spend his time weighing up the prospects of life and death. He has only one thing to consider in performing any action; that is, whether he is acting justly or unjustly, like a good man or a bad one.”6 Socrates would say that Gob’s worries about the next illusion, Lindsay’s worries about finding a suitable partner in adultery, and Tobias’s fears of being nude all fail to consider what is really important. Our crucial concern should always come down to one question: Am I being moral?

Socrates not only believed that self-reflection was essential—he thought it was desirable. Thinking critically and pursuing truth, he believed, leads to the greatest happiness. He often conveyed his teachings through stories, and one of his most famous is called the Myth of the Cave.7 In this story, Socrates describes the human condition as analogous to people who are imprisoned—chained in a dark cave, where they never see anything real, but rather, only see shadows of real people and objects as they are reflected by firelight on the walls of the cave. As far as the prisoners know, the limited existence they experience in the cave is the whole of reality. If one of those prisoners were to get free and emerge from the cave into the light, he would be temporarily blinded, much like George Sr. probably was when he emerged from his underground hiding place. In the myth, though, things are even worse for those who see the light outside the cave. They’re seeing it for the first time. After a period of adjustment, the escaped prisoners will finally see the world as it really is, rather than as shadowy reflections. They will, in fact, find that reality is far more fulfilling than cave life ever could be.

The story doesn’t end there, however. If one of the freed prisoners were to return to the cave and explain to those still chained what he’d witnessed in the world above, they would laugh at him. They would scoff because, after being in the sunlight, his sight in the darkness of the cave would be far less keen than theirs. Like Buster Bluth, the freed prisoner would be inept in the everyday world of the cave dwellers. Unlike Buster Bluth, though, this ineptitude would be the result of seeing the truth. The former prisoner of the cave would claim to be happier than those chained below, but the cave dwellers would have no interest in leaving the warm complacency of cave life.8

What does this strange story mean? Socrates thinks that most of us spend our lives shrouded in illusion. We think we’re great magicians, or awesome actors, or brilliant businessmen. Our understanding of the world is clouded and inaccurate, just like the people in the cave. Unlike the prisoners in the story, however, our chains are of our own making. We can break free anytime we like, just by opening our eyes, looking around, thinking critically, and refusing to let our minds be lulled and soothed by false but comforting beliefs. Shaking off our familiar misconceptions will be uncomfortable at first, just as it was uncomfortable for the prisoner when he first emerged into the light. But once we adjust to the sharpness and purity of reality, we’ll achieve a happiness that is equally sharp and pure, and we’ll never again be content to live a life of self-delusion. This is what Socrates called “happiness.” Happy people are those who have seen illusion and reality and are in a position to choose between them. And every person in that situation will embrace truth, even when it’s difficult or painful. Socrates says that this happiness is so compelling, he will not deviate from his pursuit of truth, no, “. . .not even if I have to die a hundred deaths.”9

The Myth of the Cave shares some things in common with the pilot of Arrested Development. Think back to the first morning we met the Bluths. Michael was excited, because he believed he would be made partner that day. Michael was living in the cave with his family. He was not seeing reality for what it really was. Though he had worked at the company faithfully every day, he was totally unaware of what had been going on around him. He didn’t know that everyone else in the family was happily living off the company money, that his twin sister had been in town for weeks, or that his father was in serious danger of being arrested for illegal business practices too numerous to mention. He dreamily reminds George Michael that family (not breakfast) is the most important thing.

George Sr.’s boat party was a turning point for Michael. It was then that Michael was yanked out of the warm, comforting darkness of the cave and shoved up into the cold light of reality. Within minutes, Michael’s illusions about his father, his importance in the company, and his future were shattered. First he learns, publicly and with no explanation, that his mother, who as far as he knows doesn’t even work for the company, bypassed him as partner. Moments later, he learns that his father has obviously been involved in some pretty bad stuff, as he is hauled away in handcuffs. Michael is shocked but quickly makes the decision to face reality. Now, he says, he really sees the world clearly. Now he knows the score. He will not return to the cave. He will go out and make a life for himself and his son in Phoenix, far away from his cave-dwelling relatives.

The remaining Bluths see things differently, however. From their vantage point in the cave, Michael looks like a fool. Where does he think he’s going? In fact, Lucille “would rather be dead in California than alive in Arizona!” So, the family stages an intervention (which sounds more like an imposition). Michael, though, is already out of the cave. His eyes have adjusted to the sun, and he realizes that what he’s done doesn’t call for an intervention (I’d love to call it an imposition). Those in the cave and those who have emerged literally see things differently. Both prefer to remain where they are, and think those who do otherwise have made a huge mistake. This disagreement about how to live is clear throughout the series. Michael frequently criticizes his family’s behavior, urging them to think about their lives and behave differently. Of course, this makes them angry and resentful (Lucille tells Michael that he is her second least favorite child, and Gob repeatedly calls him a robot . . . “the boy who couldn’t cry”). Both sides think they’re right, but Socrates’s point is that only those who have emerged from the cave are in a position to make a call about which life is better. Socrates’s claim is that a life of self-reflection and the critical search for truth is a better life, and will lead to more happiness. But let’s take a look at the Bluths to see if the wisdom of Socrates can be confirmed.

Michael: “The Good One, the Moral One, the Fool.”

Socrates would predict that Michael would be the happiest Bluth. After all, Michael is the member of the Bluth family who has most clearly emerged from the cave. He pokes his head back in sometimes to talk to his loved ones who still live there, and sometimes his perception of reality gets confused, but Michael tries to live a just, thoughtful life. He thinks critically about his actions and is aware of the fact that his behavior sometimes falls short of his own ideals. When this happens, he doesn’t brush it aside, instead he reflects and considers how to behave better in the future. When Michael realizes that much of his dislike for Ann (George Michael’s bland girlfriend) stems from jealousy over his son’s affection, Michael takes steps to accept her as a part of his son’s life.10 Michael thinks this is the right thing to do, but he also sees this type of reflective life, of striving to know and better oneself, as the path to happiness. After getting to know Ann, however, Michael faces a sad truth—he really doesn’t like her. Michael bravely faces the reality many parents face—he just doesn’t like the person his son has chosen to date. Michael embraces the truth and is left disappointed.

The situation with Ann doesn’t look like a fluke either. It looks as if Michael’s level of happiness is proportionate to his level of self-deception. When is he saddest? When he sees reality most clearly; when Michael realizes that George Michael prefers to hang out with “Egg” over bikeriding with his dad. When he realizes (repeatedly) that his father doesn’t trust him and continues to deceive him. When he’s the only attendee at his mom’s surprise party...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Title
• Copyright
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part One: Family First
• Part Two: A Business Model
• Part Three: Some Huge Mistakes
• Part Four: The One Where They Do Epistemology
• Part Five: Solid As Iraq: Politics and Ethics Arrested
• Part Six: And On The Epilogue . . .
• Contributors
• Index