Last night I watched a teen melodrama entitled Divergent, I am sure you either saw the trailer, film or read/heard-of the novel that the movie is based on. To say that the movie is good would be a stretch, indeed it is very much like many of the teen movies that exist. With that in mind I would like to quickly discuss some of the interesting philosophical underpinnings that I believe exist in Divergent. Divergent is set in a small "dystopian" society, in this case set in the city (or Polis if you will allow) of chicago, which has been broken up into 5 factions. These faction, Abnegation for the selfless; Amity for the peaceful; Candor for the honest; Dauntless for the brave; Erudite for the intelligent, are created to ensure that the society will exist in harmony.
It easy to see the parallel between Divergent and Plato's Republic, the famous Socratic Dialogue. Within Plato's republic we undergo the intellectual journey of The City [Polis] in Speech, a fictional society which Plato argues is a logically perfect-city [Kalipolis]. Within this city [Polis] we are told of the need for a "noble lie," a lie that every "person" fits within a pre-ordained faction. In Plato's dialogue there are three factions (the number three is a common theme in Plato's philosophy), these three factions are The guardians, the Auxiliaries, and the Producers, which coincide with different "metals" within their souls. The producers are Bronze and Iron, the Auxiliaries are Silver and the Guardians are Gold. One could easily fit Divergent's 5 factions within the three that Plato has outlined within the Republic.
Within both Plato's Republic and Divergent education is a vital component on the selection and factionalization of each member of society. Education and testing is used to inform each citizen on which faction they best belong. They are told a "noble lie" in both divergent and Plato's republic, that the factions are needed to maintain society, any breaking of the faction system will be the demise of the entire society. I have not read Divergent so I do not know if the novel goes into as much detail as Plato's republic on how the education would be applied but the basic principle still remains.
The parallel deepens. The "Divergent's" are an interesting take on both the guardians and perhaps the true "sophists" within Plato's republic. Within the Republic the guardians are chosen to defend the city [Polis] and to rule as is right. Within the film (and I assume the film follows the novel) the only Divergent's we are shown are either with the "Dauntless" (the guardians of the city [Polis] of Chicago) or were with the "Dauntless." This is very important for the Divergent are ever so subtly hinted as haters of power, those who are unwilling to rule. Such people, those who wish not to rule, are those who are best to rule under Plato's republic. Only very specific members of Plato's Republic have the "Soul" of a philosopher, not all the guardians [Dauntless] are true leaders/rulers, only the select few ever become the proper philosophical rulers, those which are able to see and understand the Good. Those philosophical souls are very much like the "Divergent," and as outlined by the fall of The City [Polis] in Speech, the persecution and destruction of the Philosophical [Divergent] brings death and disorder to society.
What I find most fascinating by this development is how historically vital philosophical ideals, underpinnings of our academic self understanding, can be found within every day pop culture. I will admit, out of social hierarchal necessity, that Divergent is a highly bastardized version of Plato's Republic. It lacks the cultural, intellectual and aesthetic refinement of Plato's Republic yet it does tackle many of the same surface themes. In our Post-Modern world I think it is important to accept that the moral and intellectual distinctions between low and high art are increasingly becoming blurred, though many would argue such distinctions are still important. Divergent reminded me that within seemingly insubstantial works of entertainment can be found valuable intellectual parallels and lessons. So when reading a pulp novel or watching a mindless movie look beyond the surface of its entertainment value, consider the structure of the narrative, the basis of the visual design and the characterization of society/individuals; you may find something a little more engaging.
Olek
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