Philosophy Put to Music

I love a good story. A good story will make me think for days after I've heard it (if not weeks). What makes a good story, though? It's not an easy thing to put one's finger on. Some would say that a story has to have a point, that it exists to convey an idea in the author's head. Some say that a story is about a character that has to make a decision. Still others would say that a story is no more than a bunch of stuff that happened.

Personally, I say all of the above. Socratic dialogues are essays in story form. Allegories like Animal Farm or Aesop's fables are simply the author's own ideas thinly veiled by semi-fictional characters. All of those are good stories and make me think, so there is truth there. But there is more to it.

What makes a story interesting is the decisions that characters make. We empathize with them. We imagine what it would be like if we were in their situation, what it would be like to get to make some of their decisions and what it would be like to have to make some of the decisions they made. A classic hero's tale makes us feel empowered. Choosing to say no to the forces of evil, to fight against them and win through sheer force of will, we do all the things we wish we could do. A tragic hero's tale, though, makes us feel somewhat powerless. When we think of what it would be like to lose all of the things and people we love, we feel like there's nothing we could do. But when we read of a hero who still chooses to be a hero despite that loss, it fills us with strength and courage as well.

Still, though, I believe that a story doesn't even need to have a choice. Simply seeing characters living life the way they naturally would can be interesting. Have you ever met somebody so different from yourself that you can't help but wonder how they live their life? Simply reading the story of their daily thoughts and activities would make for a good story. Imagine somebody whoh isn't merely different, but is a paranoid schizophrenic. Seeing how they encounter and deal with the world could keep you riveted.

As I said at the beginning of this post, a good story makes me think. I love thinking, which happens to be exactly what philosophy is. And in the end, all good stories are just philosophy put to music. Philosophy is examining the world around us and seeking to understand it. Sometimes we learn by listening to a well-made argument. Sometimes we learn by exploring a place we've never visited. Regardless of how, any story that makes us think is a good one, and one worth reading.