The Subtle Philosophical Teachings of Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson was first published on November 18, 1985. The characters were based on two real figures. John Calvin was a French theologian during the Protestant Reformation. He was focused on reforming the Catholic Church during the mid-1500s. The religion he followed was later called Calvinism and was a movement to separate from the corrupt Catholic Church. Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher who contributed to the field of political science and whose ideas are still relevant in the political field.

Knowing the origins of the characters, it’s weird that people assume that they were made for children. According to a Business Insider article published in 2015, Bill Watterson’s initial intentions were to make an inside joke for political science majors. These comic strips can be enjoyed by people of any age, but most of the jokes and references are intentionally aimed at adults. According to Wikipedia, Calvin and Hobbes is mainly seen as the “last great newspaper comic.”

An article published by Tufts University on philosophy says that Calvin and Hobbes is our only popular explanation of the moral philosophy of Aristotle. We see this in the characters themselves, with Calvin being a mischievous and cynical kid, known for always getting in trouble and Hobbes being s a sardonic and philosophical character, known as Calvin’s only true friend. Hobbes constantly keeps Calvin in check.

On July 15, 1995, Bill Watterson drew one of his most philosophical and profound comic strips ever. It is a four-box comic in which Calvin is seen with a jar holding a butterfly. He says, “Look! I caught a butterfly!” Hobbes looks at him and says with sorrow, “If people could put rainbows in zoos they’d do it.” Calvin reflects on what the tiger said and opens the jar to let the butterfly go. In this simple comic strip, Watterson can portray a picture of our society in a way that even philosophers couldn’t. The simplicity is what makes this comic so important and makes it enjoyable for kids without making them wonder about what it means. Hobbes, a self-aware stuffed tiger, scrutinizes humans for caging tigers and makes a fitting (and plausible) argument that humans would put rainbows in zoos. This makes the reader wonder about the influence humans have in the natural world and suspect that we would cage anything as long as there was a profit. With so few words, Watterson breaks down the boundaries of what we think is right. If rainbows can’t be put in zoos, why can peacocks be held there?

Another example of these philosophical teachings, which is less subtle, was published on April 9, 1989. In the comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes are walking through a forest, and Calvin is explaining that he doesn't believe in ethics anymore. He says, “As far as I’m concerned, the ends justify the means.” This common phrase is saying that a good outcome justifies any wrongs committed to attain it. Calvin goes on to say that “Winners write the history books” and to “Get what you can while the getting’s good.” Hobbes responds by pushing Calvin into a patch of mud. Calvin is furious, but Hobbes says, “You were in my way, now you’re not. The ends justify the means.” In the last panel, Calvin says, “I didn’t mean for everyone… Just me.” What Watterson is trying to convey here is more obvious to younger readers than the butterfly and the jar. Brilliantly written and flawlessly executed, this short comic strip portrays exactly what Watterson wanted, and perhaps will lead some to wonder if their ends justified their means. The idea of excluding ethical concerns in a position of power comes from Nicolo Machiavelli, who believed that leaders should only focus on leading and shouldn't worry about what is right and what is wrong. This part of the message is hidden to younger audiences, and even older ones, but it is still present.

The final example I’ll give will also be open to interpretation, as it has many meanings and is perhaps the deepest and most philosophical comic strip Bill Watterson has ever written. Calvin and Hobbes are sitting outside looking at the stars, and Calvin says, “If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.” He explains this by saying that there are more important things in the world than what we think is important. Hobbes responds by saying that they spent their day looking under rocks at the creeks, and Calvin says, with a smirk on his face, “I mean other people.”

Speaking with some sophomores from Rowland Hall, I learned that Calvin and Hobbes wasn’t as popular as I’d thought it was. Out of the five people I interviewed, only two knew what Calvin and Hobbes was, and none of them knew who the characters were based on. One 10th grader said that he did know what Calvin and Hobbes was, but when I asked him who the characters were based on, he told me that they were named after the author’s kid and his stuffed animal. I then explained that they were actually named after John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes, both philosophers. He said, “Well how am I supposed to know that? I only read it a few times as a kid.” This is the whole point of finding these philosophical subtleties: to learn the impact the comic had on kids and how that shaped them as adults. Another student said that they didn't remember a lot about Calvin and Hobbes, but that subconsciously they knew they had read it. It’s difficult to see if a comic strip read as a child had an impact on a person, but something that is certain is that when they are older and they are emptying old boxes of their childhood things, when they find the Calvin and Hobbes comics, a rush of memories will sweep over them, because there are some moments that, subconsciously, we know we will remember for the rest of our lives, and reading Calvin and Hobbes is one of those moments.

Overall, Calvin and Hobbes is by far one of the most beloved and well known comic strips in the world, not only by children but by adults and philosophers. Even though Bill Watterson decided to stop drawing the comic in 1995, it still has relevance, even today. By only analyzing three comic panels, out of hundreds, we have found newfound meaning to a story of a boy and his tiger, meaning that reflects our society today, even 35 years after its original publication. Given these new philosophical teachings discovered in Watterson’s meticulous words, there is no doubt in my mind that Calvin and Hobbes is the greatest comic strip ever written.