the republic of spongebob
by jack pippen
The show SpongeBob SquarePants has been running continuously since 1999 with huge success with children and people of all ages for the whole time. The show is made to be funny and teach lessons but also has much deeper and more significant undertones. It is about a fantastical underwater society based around a sentient sea sponge and his friends which are other conscious sea creatures. Together they form a society that can be viewed as a simplified model for our own society and culture. So what would a philosopher have to say about it? What would Plato think about the playful yet in a way realistic society in SpongeBob? Plato viewed our world as simply a reflection of what truly is. He saw our perceivable world as a shadow or reflection of the real world of perfect and eternal forms. All ideas and objects in our world are representations of their true form to Plato. Plato makes most of these things clear through his famous allegory of the cave. SpongeBob can be used as an allegory of the cave going the opposite direction. If SpongeBob was the “real” and perceivable society then our worldly society would be the abstract form of a society.
SpongeBob SquarePants takes place in the whimsical underwater realm of Bikini Bottom which has a unique society and culture. The society is flawed and unrealistic compared to our real society but there is a reason it is flawed. The society of SpongeBob is flawed because it is just a representation. It isn’t the true society. It is simply a reflection of the form which is our society and culture. Plato would say our society is the same way. To him SpongeBob’s society is to our society as ours is to the true form of society.
Society is not the only thing that can be represented in that way. Take for example a house. In the show SpongeBob lives in a pineapple and his neighbor Squidward lives in tiki head. In our world we know that it isn’t practical to live in a pineapple or a head, but instead in a shelter which keeps you warm and dry. Our idea of a house, with a roof, walls, air conditioning, and windows, would be the true form of a home while a pineapple or a tiki head, or rock, wuld be the representation of the form. This comparison works for all the unrealistic and fantastical aspects of SpongeBob.
These representations or imitations of true forms play into another one of Plato’s theories. His view of aesthetics also rested on his idea of abstract forms. He often criticized art and poetry as simply imitation. He would most likely view SpongeBob as merely an imitation of what truly is. He would probably view both the whole society and individual parts of it and objects as an imitation of our world and as far removed from the true form which to him was the absolute real.
When Plato watched SpongeBob SquarePants he would most likely be conflicted. He would see it as another perfect allegory explaining his idea of another realm, of forms, beyond ours. But at the same time he may be somewhat disgusted with it due to his theories of aesthetics and his general dislike and criticism of art in the past. He was very against things which were far removed from the truth which he would view SpongeBob and really all television as, but he would be especially against the unrealistic nature of it. SpongeBob is way to approach Plato’s famous allegory of the cave from another direction.
SpongeBob SquarePants takes place in the whimsical underwater realm of Bikini Bottom which has a unique society and culture. The society is flawed and unrealistic compared to our real society but there is a reason it is flawed. The society of SpongeBob is flawed because it is just a representation. It isn’t the true society. It is simply a reflection of the form which is our society and culture. Plato would say our society is the same way. To him SpongeBob’s society is to our society as ours is to the true form of society.
Society is not the only thing that can be represented in that way. Take for example a house. In the show SpongeBob lives in a pineapple and his neighbor Squidward lives in tiki head. In our world we know that it isn’t practical to live in a pineapple or a head, but instead in a shelter which keeps you warm and dry. Our idea of a house, with a roof, walls, air conditioning, and windows, would be the true form of a home while a pineapple or a tiki head, or rock, wuld be the representation of the form. This comparison works for all the unrealistic and fantastical aspects of SpongeBob.
These representations or imitations of true forms play into another one of Plato’s theories. His view of aesthetics also rested on his idea of abstract forms. He often criticized art and poetry as simply imitation. He would most likely view SpongeBob as merely an imitation of what truly is. He would probably view both the whole society and individual parts of it and objects as an imitation of our world and as far removed from the true form which to him was the absolute real.
When Plato watched SpongeBob SquarePants he would most likely be conflicted. He would see it as another perfect allegory explaining his idea of another realm, of forms, beyond ours. But at the same time he may be somewhat disgusted with it due to his theories of aesthetics and his general dislike and criticism of art in the past. He was very against things which were far removed from the truth which he would view SpongeBob and really all television as, but he would be especially against the unrealistic nature of it. SpongeBob is way to approach Plato’s famous allegory of the cave from another direction.