I love Game of Thrones. As a little boy I grew up with Lord of the Rings (and am currently rereading it for the tenth time), and I am happy that fantasy, as a genre, has not died out and continues to develop. Game of Thrones is an excellent example of fantasy literature with deep adult themes being successfully brought onto the big screen. This has been quite the season of new shows for me as I’ve been asking for a zombie series that looks deeper into the human nature in the state of anarchy.
Now, the reason I mention this is that in the season opener there was an interesting scene that seemed like it was written by a political scientist. The scene begins with the queen, flanked by guards on either side, talking with Baelish, a rich man whose web of spies runs deep in the series. He states before her that one should not forget that knowledge is power. The queen then tells her guards to kill him, but right before the blade is called back to the scabbard inches from his throat. She has her guards turn around, step away, and close their eyes. “Power is power”, she states.
By this she refers to the ability to control others. To make others do what you want and to have your orders obeyed to the letter. The ability to control itself can be broken down piece by piece. The first aspect of power is the ability to control yourself. The question of do you have control over your own body is an ongoing debate among philosophers and political scientists. The argument by existentialists is the individualist one. According to existentialist philosophers you are the supreme power over yourself. Outside of you there are all of these raging forces. You have your family, your friends, your culture, your music, your parents, your government, and all of the things that have been imprinted into you by both nurture and nature. Despite all these forces YOU are the master and commander of your own soul. You are the one that makes all decisions and are responsible for all of your failures and successes.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum we have political scientists who identify you as being unable to resist being a part of your own culture. Even if you make a different decision or have some sort of crisis it’s simply because of conflicting cultural pressures.
Here’s an example: Who is responsible for the death of the Jews at Auschwitz? Was it Hitler, anti-Semitism, or the guy who actually pulled the lever that sent gas into the chamber? After a class I took on existentialism I tried to tell my professor that all the responsibility was in the hands of those who pulled the proverbial trigger. My professor, a brilliant guy leaned over the table at me and said, “so you’re telling me Hitler had no responsibility or power?” Of course I stammered and I stuttered, but I was…..schooled…..quite literally.
