Timon and Pumbaa Represent the Confusion between Stoicism and Hedonism
The writers of The Lion King portrayed Timon and Pumbaa as practitioners of Stoicism, when in fact they are really practitioners of Hedonism, and this represents the essential confusion of the two philosophies.
The Lion King
In the timeless classic, The Lion King, we are presented with an allegory for what might be considered the hero’s journey, spiritual individuation, or finding meaning and purpose set against the backdrop of suffering and tragedy.
This story is personified in Simba, who struggles to find purpose after losing his father.
When Simba is dejected after he believes he caused the death of his father, he falls into a pit of Nihilism, guilt, and regret. He has no purpose or will to continue on with his life.
This is the essential question that life poses to us, which many philosophers have tried to address: how do we exist in a world characterized by suffering? Moreover, how do we live with ourselves knowing that we were the cause of suffering?
This is the problem that Simba — and many of us — grapples with. When Simba is at his worst and is about to be eaten by vultures — a metaphor for his spiritual “death” — Timon and Pumbaa encounter him. When they find out he’s not dead, and is fact sullen and downtrodden, they give him some water and try to help him. They ask Simba where he’s going, to which he responds: “Nowhere.” That is Nihilism manifest.
“Anything we can do?” asks Pumbaa “Not unless you can change the past,” answers Simba. (That’s a real problem Simba, how do we move forward when facing guilt about the past?)
Timon then steps in to help quell Simba’s woes. “You gotta put your past behind you. Look kid, bad things happen and you can’t do anything about it right?” “Right,” affirms Simba. “Wrong,” counters Timon. “When the world turns its back on you, you turn your back on the world.” (That’s Hedonism and perhaps another form of Nihilism — to reject the questions of life that existence poses to us.)
At this point, this is where Timon and Pumbaa teach Simba a valuable lesson: Hakuna Matata, no worries. (It is their problem-free philosophy, after all). This is essentially a lesson in Stoicism. Epictetus would put it like this, “We are not disturbed by events but by our opinions about events.”
But… after giving Simba this miraculous new tool to approach life with, they translate that into simply enjoying themselves and eating a disgusting amount of food. That is Hedonism — the response to life is to maximize pleasure. It means that nothing matters, so let’s just have a good time.
“This is the great life, no rules no responsibilities… and best of all, no worries,” says Timon. Timon and Pumbaa get the answer half-right. We should not be troubled by outside events, but that doesn’t mean we should give up on grappling with life. It doesn’t mean we should drop out into the land of inaction.
What Is Stoicism About?
As a colleague put it, “Stoicism isn’t about inaction, it’s about managing your expectations and reactions to things that are outside of your control. Indulging in pleasurable activities while ignoring responsibilities is not a hallmark of Stoicism.” Marcus Aurelius, one of the great Stoics, embodied his philosophy while ruling over the Roman Empire. He engaged in many military conflicts, a whole lot of action, while still practicing Stoicism.
So as an opposite to life of Marcus Aurelius, we are shown a life characterized by musicals, dancing, and eating copious amounts of grub. Different worlds and perhaps a different philosophy.
In addition, the world Timon and Pumbaa inhabit is the same world that Pinocchio inhabits when he chooses pleasure island over assuming responsibility over his own life. It’s the same world that Peter Pan inhabits when he refuses to grow up, but spend his time in Neverland — a world that can simply never exist. But Timon and Pumbaa are slightly smarter (and less malicious) than their counterparts who inhabit these worlds in other stories. Why? Perhaps, to malign Stoicism. Perhaps out of ignorance.
This is where an understanding of Friedrich Nietzsche comes in.
Nietzsche’s response to suffering and Nihilism is “the will to power.” That is, “the drive to perfect and transcend the self through the possession and exercise of creative power.” Well, is this not what Simba ultimately realizes when he has to return to Pride Rock, assume the throne, and defeat the evil ruler Scar? Simba rejects the land of inaction with Timon and Pumbaa, meets up with his girl, fights Scar and his minions, then rules over his kingdom with his chest out, while watching all of his happy subservients dance below him.
More than that, the whole song “I Can’t Wait To Be King” is the lyrical equivalent of “the will to power.” A young man dreaming of his future in a position of power and dominance.
Therefore, Simba is more resemblant of Nietzsche’s “Ubermensch” than a humble Stoic. Nietzsche’s system is goal-oriented, whereas Stoicism is not. Nietzsche was actually a critic of Stoicism for this reason. This leads me to believe that the writers of The Lion King, whether knowingly or unknowingly, portrayed Simba in the light of Nietzsche’s ideal response to the challenges of life, rather than the Stoic response. In doing this, they mischaracterize Stoicism and conflate it with Hedonism. Therefore, we don’t get an accurate depiction of what Simba’s life would have been like should he have chosen to legitimately embrace Stoicism.
So, The Lion King shouldn’t give us reason to doubt the practice of Stoicism. Perhaps, it does allow us to reject Hedonism. Perhaps, it also does affirm the legitimacy of Nietzsche’s “will to power.” But, there is another alternative that would be interesting to explore. What would Simba look like if he believed in setting goals, affirming life, transcending himself, but also not letting outside events unduly influence his temperament? That is a script I’ll leave for a different time or a different writer.
