Charlie Gaia

10/24/2004

TH300 Theology III 11

 

Jerry and Socrates: An examined Life?

 

As we look at Jerry Seinfeld and Socrates we begin to see many similarities between them.  For example we can see an instance of similarity if we look at the relationship between reality and fiction in Seinfeld and in the writings of Plato.  In the show Seinfeld the character Jerry Seinfeld is based on Jerry himself, a comedian living in New York.  But how is the real Jerry Seinfeld similar to the character Jerry Seinfeld?  Well, both share many of the same personality traits however the character’s is exaggerated a bit for comic effect.  In a book written and published by Jerry Seinfeld himself called Seinlanguage, Jerry has transcribed the stand-up comedy routines which were first seen by the public on the show.  This is where the dilemma comes into play; since Jerry has accredited these routines as his own, How do we know whose actual words are these, the fictional character or the real Jerry.

This leads us to the relationship between the fictional and real works of Plato.  Socrates was the teacher of Plato; however he wrote nothing himself throughout his life, therefore the only bit of evidence about the life of Socrates comes from the writings of Plato.  Plato wrote many dialogues with Socrates being the main character in them.  Since we are getting the life and teachings of Socrates through someone else’s perspective, how are we supposed to know where the ideas of Socrates leave off and those of Plato begin?

We can also see a similarity between the roles Jerry and Socrates take in their respective communities.  Jerry similarly like Socrates provokes both his friends and his audience by bringing to mind subjects to which they would not ordinarily give much thought.  Also like Socrates, Jerry amasses a band of followers who copy his style of questioning and concern.  However the two are also very different in this area.  While Socrates is concerned with questions of the good life and human excellence, Jerry is engaged in very less important comical questions.

Jerry and Socrates also use irony quite a bit.  Socrates is said to be ironic when he claims to know nothing, despite seeming to posse great knowledge.  Jerry shows his ironic side when he speaks ironically and even sometimes sarcastically.  He often responds to some of Kramer’s insane ideas with simple responses like “Oh, that’ll work,” or “that’s nice.”  This shows his irony that shows a lot in the show.

So while there may be a few differences between Jerry Seinfeld from Seinfeld and Socrates, we mainly see an abundance of similar views and characteristics that the two share.