The Finn-losophy of Adventure Time
JOHN V. KARAVITIS
Once again, the boys are facing an unimaginable magical foe. The creature has six arms, two hundred legs, and a bad attitude. One of its poison-spitting tentacles reaches toward an unnamed princess . . . And the boys have seen all they need to! Leaping from Jake’s back, Finn shouts, “Hero Time!” as his grass blade slices through the writhing tentacle. The hideous beast gathers into itself, whimpering as Finn lands with his arms cocked at his hips. Jake, who shaped himself into a shield around the princess, unfolds and fist-bumps Finn, “Yeah, man!” Finn turns to the princess, ready to bask in her gratitude, and then steps back, buffeted by her scowling face. “Dog-cabbage-it! You rutabaga heads! My boyfriend was trying to help me tie my shoe. I’m a princess. I shouldn’t have to tie my own knots! What were you thinking?”
The Land of Ooo is a world of both science and magic; of beautiful, young princesses, and evil, old wizard kings; of deepest friendships, and darkest dangers. In many ways, it’s not at all like our world. In many ways, it’s just like it. And one fact is true in both worlds: thinking takes more time and more effort, but it’s often wise to look before you charge and start hacking off limbs. . . .
A strange world, this Land of Ooo, where science and magic exist side-by-side. Science and magic represent two conflicting views of how the world works, one that requires time, effort, and deep thought, and the other that is much easier and often more appealing. We will explore Finn’s view of how the world works—his “Finn-losophy”—and how that view explains the way Finn lives his life.
“Come along with me,” gentle reader, on an adventure of our own in the Land of Ooo. Like Finn, let’s explore what it means to believe in magic and what it means to believe in science. And, by the end of our adventure, we’ll see how our view of the world, as either magical or scientific, affects how we behave in the world—and our future.
Episode A: Science Hasn’t Left, but Magic Seems So Right!
The Land of Ooo is a post-apocalyptic world where both science and magic exist. At the very beginning of the title sequence, remnants of science and technology are clearly visible. These imply that science is still a part of the world. But we also see evidence of magic being perhaps an even greater part of this world. We see the Ice King flying; the citizens of the Candy Kingdom (who are made of . . . candy, of course!); Marceline Abadeer, the Vampire Queen, transforming; and Jake, with legs stretched long, Finn riding on his back.
On the one hand, magic is everywhere in the Land of Ooo. Everyone Finn deals with is either non-human or possesses magical powers. Jake the Dog has the power to shrink, stretch, and change his form into various shapes. The Ice King can fly and freeze objects. Marceline can fly, move things with her mind, shape-shift, and she lives by depriving red objects of their color. The Magic Man from Mars has magical powers in general. Flambo the Flambit can cloak Finn and Jake in a flame shield to protect them while they are in the Fire Kingdom. Finn and Jake encounter magic, and make use of it, constantly.
On the other hand, there are numerous examples of science in the Land of Ooo, and of Finn’s and Jake’s acceptance of and reliance on science. We see cell phones, a telephone line, VHS tapes, PCs, videogames, holographic phones, holographic books, a holographic newspaper, computer worms, robots, a rocket ship, a Martian spaceship, a re-animation serum, cloning, mutations, and the results of Princess Bubblegum’s various experiments and scientific investigations. There is even an annual technology fair!1
The presence of Finn’s and Jake’s friend and roommate, Beemo, reinforces their acceptance of science in a world filled with magic. An autonomous, intelligent, and consciously-aware PC, who looks like a cross between a personal computer from the mid-1980s and a video game controller, Beemo is not just their friend and roommate. He acts as Finn’s calendar–alarm clock, and he’s also their video game console and VHS tape player. (Just don’t ask where the tapes are inserted!) When Beemo accidentally deletes an important core system driver file from his memory, the three of them make a trip to the factory where he was created to get a replacement copy. The factory still exists, and it is staffed with many other similar automatons.2
Don’t Be RIDICULOUS! There’s ALWAYS a Good Explanation!
Science and magic each represent a unique way of viewing how the world works. An important theme in Adventure Time is that how you view the world affects how you behave in it. The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of the world and how it works is called “metaphysics,” and, of course, the branch that explores how we should behave is called “ethics.”
Of all of Finn’s and Jake’s acquaintances, Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum is the staunchest proponent and defender of science. The Candy Kingdom’s creator and ruler, she’s always conducting experiments or applying science to understand events. The series begins with Princess Bubblegum trying to create a serum that would bring back the dead—a “decorpsinator” serum.3 When the Ice King kidnaps Finn and Jake, she and Lady Rainicorn work to rescue them. She has anticipated every contingency. “But I’ve spent hours calculating every possible danger, and am well-prepared.” Armed to the teeth with advanced weapons, she seeks to assure Lady Rainicorn that they will prevail in their quest to free them. “Lady, it will be fine. We’ve got SCIENCE!” she confidently proclaims.4
When the Magic Man steals Jake’s perfect sandwich creation, and then traps himself and it in a slo-mo bubble, Princess Bubblegum uses science to explain what he’s done. “He’s using a molasses-based super-covalent sub-atomic bond, slowing an-y-thing that enters its field. But only if the molasses is at room temperature.”5
Throughout the series, Princess Bubblegum persistently denies that magic exists. When Starchy falls ill, and is tended to by the Princess, he refuses medical treatment from her. He demands to be cured by magic instead. The Princess denies that magic exists. She tells Starchy “All magic is scientific principles presented like mystical hoodoo. Which is fun, but it’s sort of irresponsible.” She then playfully pretends to apply magic to cure him, but Starchy is offended that the Princess would so callously disrespect his beliefs.
Forced to seek a “cold spell” in Wizard City, she, Finn, and Jake are all captured and brought before the Grand Master Wizard. Rather than admit that “All wizards rule” in exchange for their freedom, she defends science and denies that magic is real. She shouts at the Grand Master Wizard “All magic is science! You just don’t know what you’re doing, so you call it magic. Well, it’s ridiculous.” At the end of this episode, not having obtained a cure for Starchy’s illness, she yet again falls back on science—on the placebo effect—which “cures” him.6
On a few occasions, Princess Bubblegum does appear to explicitly acknowledge the existence of magic. These occasions contradict her metaphysics, which she has continually professed is based on science. She shows Finn the Enchiridion (a book for heroes whose hearts are righteous), using what appears to be a magic crystal ball.7 When faced with the evil Lich, a powerful wizard, Princess Bubblegum warns that he can cast spells to “get into your head and control your bod.” It’s only special gems that prevent the Lich from having “full control” over them.8 When she is later possessed by the Lich, she behaves strangely.9
It was Princess Bubblegum who recognized that the Flame Princess’s unstable “elemental matrix” could burn the world out from the inside, and she was responsible for the Flame Princess being imprisoned by her own father, the Flame King.10 Princess Bubblegum battles a witch for Marceline’s teddy bear, but “wins” by simply exchanging her shirt for it.11 Marceline drains Princess Bubblegum’s blood, yet the “spoon of prosperity” restores her back to normal.12
These few instances contradict but do not discredit the sharp distinction that is drawn between science and magic in Adventure Time. Princess Bubblegum’s metaphysical position is firm: magic does not exist. Rather, science is the only way to understand how the world works and explain what we see and experience.
Taking the Easy Way Out
Finn is surrounded by both science and magic, and he appears to accept and use both without question. But it’s his attitude toward using each, and how he expresses his preference for one over the other, that tell us what he thinks of the world and how it works. Finn’s metaphysics is that, although science exists in the Land of Ooo, magic is the preferred method of understanding the world and acting within it. Finn’s preference for magic over science is demonstrated repeatedly, and this preference affects how he behaves.
Finn’s constant companion is his adoptive brother Jake the Dog. Jake is referred to as “magical,” and his power is obvious: he can shrink or stretch his body, and even shape-shift on command. In their adventures, it’s Jake’s magical ability that rescues Finn from disaster on more than one occasion. Magic typically saves Finn; science doesn’t.
Finn had a crush on Princess Bubblegum, but she had always refused to reciprocate. She felt that Finn was too young and immature for her. “Such a silly boy.”13 Finn pined over his unrequited love for Princess Bubblegum, and later fell for the Flame Princess, who can barely control her anger and her flame power.14 Finn had romantic success with the emotionally unstable girl who has magical powers, but not with the level-headed girl who lives by science. Finn’s love life over the course of the series symbolizes his preference for magic over science.
Wanting to impress Princess Bubblegum with a scientific speech at her barbecue, Finn decides that he needs to become smarter. A trip to the library fails. Jake suggests, “Oh, let’s just solve this thing with magic.” Finn objects to this and counters “No, that’s the easy way out.” Jake takes Finn’s observation and flips the script. “Yeah, that’s the easy way out!” Finn then agrees, and he and Jake acquire the magical Glasses of Nerdicon. The magical glasses do make Finn smarter (“I understand everything”), albeit with disastrous results.15 Paradoxically, in his quest to become smarter, magic helps Finn achieve his goal; science does not.
There are numerous examples of Finn relying on others with magical powers, or on spells and amulets, in order to accomplish his goals. Finn uses a magical spell to open a portal to the Nightosphere.16 Finn and the Flame Princess successfully explore a dungeon by repeatedly relying on her flame powers to overcome obstacles and to protect them from danger.17 Magical words bring Finn and Lady Rainicorn to the demon Kee-Oth’s lair in order to save Jake.18
Although both science and magic are seen as ways of viewing and controlling the world, and expressing our will and desires, there’s a significant difference. With science, we observe the world, make educated guesses about how it works, and conduct experiments (or at least continue to observe) in order to confirm or disprove our ideas about the world. Ideas that are based on science have a special characteristic known as “falsifiability.” If your ideas about the world are wrong, they will eventually be shown to be wrong. Reality is the ultimate spell-checker.
And science based on ideas that truly reflect how the world works can result in technology that allows us to control the world! Magic, on the other hand, merely promises us the ability to control our world by using special words or special objects. Abracadabra! Hocus-pocus! Say the right words, or wave a magic wand, and all your wishes will come true!
Although Finn lives in a world of both science and magic, and has access to and makes regular use of both, he consistently prefers magic. Finn doesn’t really care about how the world works, nor does he care about the conflict that exists between these two views. He only cares about getting what he wants, when he wants it. Finn has no respect for science and what it can teach about how the world works. Magic requires no thought or understanding, and it’s the shortest path from will and desire to gratification in the Land of Ooo.
Magic is the metaphysics of immaturity; and, given that Finn sees and uses both, preferring magic over science is an expression of willful ignorance about how the world works. Finn’s metaphysics—that magic is more useful and relevant than science—stands in sharp contrast to Princess Bubblegum’s more mature view of how the world works. (No wonder they couldn’t hook up. It was all a philosophical disagreement over metaphysics. It had nothing to do with their age difference!)
Episode B: Irresponsibly Responsible!
Finn may well be a headstrong and rambunctious thirteen-year-old boy who prefers magic over science, but at least he’s all hero. But seriously, what thirteen-year-old boy hasn’t dreamed of being a hero and saving the day, and the princess? Finn explains how he decided to become a hero when he shares the story of how, as a baby, he went potty (or “boom boom”) on a large leaf, and fell backward onto it. Lying there, helpless, he cried for a day. “But no one came to help me. That day, I vowed to help anyone in need, no matter how small their problem.”19
This looks like a noble decision based on empathy. But at times it does seem as though there’s more to Finn’s being a hero than his alleged desire to help people and act by a code of honor. He seems to really like the hero role. He likes it so much, we have to wonder if he’s driven not so much by empathy as by a desire to have adventures—as would any thirteen-year-old boy. He appears driven to act not merely because of his proclaimed empathy for others, but more to satisfy his own needs for action and adventure. We consistently see Finn rushing into danger without any forethought or consideration of the consequences.
Fighting the Bucket Knight in the Dungeon of the Crystal Eye, he can’t believe that he ends up knocked to the ground, badly bruised. “Oww . . . I rode the knuckle train? But . . . I . . . I’m in my element!”20 When asked if he wants magic powers “for absolutely free,” Finn yells “Heck yeah!” Later, when asked if he’s ready to take the Wizard’s Pledge, his eagerness stuns the Bufo, who proclaim in unison “My word, I’ve never met someone so irresponsibly responsible.”21 Finn has even “worn” Jake as a second skin, running around wildly, using Jake’s magical powers, and proclaiming “I feel unstoppable! Raaaa!”22
But regardless of the reason, he takes his hero responsibilities seriously—perhaps too seriously. “A hero always helps someone in need,” he reminds Jake.23 Finn defends his actions as resulting from his obligations as a hero, even when it means suffering humiliation in someone else’s place. “I couldn’t watch that old man suffer, Jake. My code of honor wouldn’t allow it.” When Jake suggests they just leave, Finn replies “I can’t. As a hero, I’m bound by my . . .” But Marceline whisks him away before he can finish his sentence. Bound by his inflexible code of honor, Finn is forced to become Marceline’s henchman and help her feed.24 When it becomes apparent that they have to stop the Flame Princess from destroying the Goblin Kingdom, Jake asks “Finn! What’s more important? Your love for that screwball dame, or being a hero and saving the lives of innocent goblin folk?” Finn confirms, “Being a hero.”25
We saw that the Land of Ooo is one where science and magic co-exist. We also saw how science and magic differ. Science requires that we be rational, that we try to actively understand the world, and to take steps to verify our understanding. Magic only requires that we say special words, or use a special object, like an amulet, to control our world. No understanding is required.
We have come to understand Finn’s metaphysics—the way he views how the world works. Finn prefers magic to science. As long as there is magic, especially Jake’s, to back him up, he believes that he will win! Magic allows Finn to be as reckless and adventurous as he is. Relying on Jake’s magical abilities, and on any other magic he finds, magnifies Finn’s will, but it doesn’t help him behave ethically. With magic on his side, he can do as he pleases, without having to consider how his actions affect other people.
We saw how Finn’s behavior is not as altruistic and empathic as he would like us—or himself—to believe. He jumps into situations for which he has no ethical responsibility. He knows that he can’t help everyone, but he continues to get involved. “Ahhh! Everyone wants different things! And some of them want stuff that’s exactly the thing the others don’t want.” When Jake asks him what he wants, Finn replies “What I want is to help anyone in need, so everyone is happy!”26 But that can never be.
Finn doesn’t think through to the consequences of his actions, and he doesn’t consider whether his actions might be extreme. His sense of duty is so inflexible that it often has unforeseen consequences. And by helping when not asked to, or in situations for which he is not responsible, he prevents others from growing and becoming independent, from learning how to be able to help themselves.
If it weren’t for the way that Finn views the world—that magic is more important than science, and that magic will always be available to help him prevail—he wouldn’t be so foolhardy and immature. And Finn’s immaturity is a form of willful ignorance. Because of this, his altruism often becomes misguided, and this reinforces his desire to take the easy way out. Had he preferred science, like Princess Bubblegum, Finn would have been careful in selecting when to become involved and which course of action to take. Why? Because he would be invested in understanding why things are the way they are.
As long as Finn relies on the “easy way out” he never really has to understand, and just jumps in and imposes his own ethical beliefs on others! Remember how badly things went with Donny the grass ogre? Had Finn taken the time to observe and analyze, he might have realized that Donny was actually helping to protect the House People. But he didn’t; he jumped right in, and everything went to cabbage!
If Finn was a bit more willing to take the hard way, the scientific way, he would be more mature in his behavior, and he would also learn from his adventures. But, for now, he’s going to keep running into situations without really thinking about them. And let’s be honest, we kind of love him for it. Two verses from the song played over the closing credits capture his Finn-losophy perfectly: “We can wander through the forest/And do so as we please.” And: “Maybe by next summer / We won’t have changed our tune.” And you know that Finn won’t change his tune. He will always be that thirteen-year-old boy who believes in magic, and that he can do as he pleases, in his heart, at the very least.
There are a few occasions where we do see Finn mature a bit from his experiences. He learns that the ultimate weapon against evil is love—or “liking someone a lot.”27 He also learns that the real treasure in life is friendship.28 So, there is some hope that Finn can grow ethically. But Finn’s ethical development is currently pretty stagnant. The metaphor of the “Mystery Train” best describes Finn’s current ethical state. We see Finn on a train that is going around on a circular track. As he progresses from one train car to the next, he fights never-ending battles against all kinds of monsters, and he wins prizes upon defeating them. But that’s all that ever happens. The battles are never-ending, and he wins all of his battles!29
Instead of viewing the world through science, through a rational and mature viewpoint, Finn views the world as one of instant gratification with no long-term negative consequences. With science, we make mistakes, but that’s how we learn. With magic, all that matters is what we want—right now. Jake explains the meaning of Life to Beemo. “If you get everything you want the minute you want it, what’s the point of living?”30 But that’s exactly how Finn lives his life—in the childlike present.
Adventure Time teaches us an important lesson: our view of how the world works—our metaphysics—influences our behavior. It’s better to have a metaphysics that gives us a clearer, more realistic picture of how the world works than one that simply caters to our desire for how the world should work. This can be tough, because it requires us to set aside our egos and accept a lot that we might rather not accept about the world. But doing this leads us to behavior that is more mature, and more ethical.
We see many examples in Adventure Time of how Finn ultimately chooses the “easy way out,” which results in Finn making mistakes. Magic, and magical thinking, supports the “easy way out”; science doesn’t. This connection between metaphysics and ethics has implications for our future, as it does for Finn. Our current view of the world may make it impossible for us to grow ethically—as it does for Finn. We should take time to reflect on how we view the world, our place in it, and how our view makes us behave toward other people.
Let’s avoid the trap of relying on a way of viewing the world that seduces us with choosing the easy way out. After all, most of us don’t have a magical dog to save our buns when we don’t think things through. . . .
1 “Death in Bloom.”
2 “Be More.”
3 “Slumber Party Panic.”
4 “Lady and Peebles.”
5 “Time Sandwich.”
6 “Wizards Only, Fool.”
7 “The Enchiridion!”
8 “Mortal Folly.”
9 “Mortal Recoil.”
10 “Burning Low.”
11 “Sky Witch.”
12 “Red Starved.”
13 “Too Young”; also “Incendium,” “King Worm,” and “Too Old.”
14 “Incendium.”
15 “The Real You.”
16 “It Came from the Nightosphere.”
17 “Vault of Bones.”
18 “The Pit.”
19 “Memories of Boom Boom Mountain.”
20 “Dungeon.”
21 “Wizard.”
22 “Jake Suit.”
23 “Freak City.”
24 “Henchman.”
25 “Hot to the Touch.”
26 “Memories of Boom Boom Mountain.”
27 “Mortal Folly.”
28 “What Was Missing.”
29 “Mystery Train.”
30 “Box Prince.”