Specific Philosophy/Philosopher info help requested for story I'm writing

[huedell]

I have an odd request/favor here guys

Any of you that are familliar with popular philosophers or philosophies
may be able to assist me here...and if you can, I'd really appreciate it

I'm writing a story where the main character/hero fears change and/or
complicating his life by entering society any more than he has to.

Let's say that the typical person would say to the this guy/the hero,
the ol' chestnut "NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED" as in
"You can't get anywhere unless you're willing to take a risk."

And the hero's reply was simply: "Well, I don't want to ACHIEVE ANYTHING."

Is there a philosophy---or philosopher who best summed
this mentality up?

Is it an Eastern thing?
Is it a "Zen" thing?

Is there some prolific pontificating 18th century German writer/philosopher
who perscribed to an ideal like that?

Any help would be appreciated.

I plan on imbuing my character with as much depth to his convictions
as I can---and I thought knowing someone or some people that thought
simillarly (that I could research on the Net) would help with the process.

I just don't know where to look.

Again...thank you to anybody who'll help.

[grayhank]

I don't know of a philosopher but I do know of a fictional character that two trilogies of books were written about. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - The Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson. The first trilogy consists of Lord Foul's Bane, The Illearth War and the The Power that Preserves. The 2nd trilogy is The Wounded Land, The One Tree and White Gold Wielder.

If you are not familiar with the books, it's very Tolkein-esq. The character of Thomas Covenant is a leper who has these episodes of unconscienceness where he goes to this "other land" where the people expect him to do all these varied things to save their world. Yet he doesn't believe it's real or anything more than a dream and doesn't always have the best intentions for what he does. It's very much the "reluctant hero" type story which sounds sort of like what you are asking.

[Vortigern99]

^ ^ Covenant was kind of a conscientious objector to the fantasy world he had been transported to. He was really apathetic and selfish alot of the time. But Huedell's protagonist sounds more Buddhistic to my mind (though I could be wrong).

Basically, as I understand it, Buddhism says that we can remove ourselves from our attachment to/desire for the goods of the world, and so find transcendence from the world. Why risk anything at all if all the material wealth we crave is impermanent anyway? Better to walk the path between the twin poles of fear and desire, detached from the scrabbling, covetous masses and politicians who kill and injure each other for their fleeting whims and desires.

Sorry if this isn't what you were going for, Huedell, but that's what I thought of when I read your opening post.

[huedell]

^ ^ Covenant was kind of a conscientious objector to the fantasy world he had been transported to. He was really apathetic and selfish alot of the time. But Huedell's protagonist sounds more Buddhistic to my mind (though I could be wrong).

Basically, as I understand it, Buddhism says that we can remove ourselves from our attachment to/desire for the goods of the world, and so find transcendence from the world. Why risk anything at all if all the material wealth we crave is impermanent anyway? Better to walk the path between the twin poles of fear and desire, detached from the scrabbling, covetous masses and politicians who kill and injure each other for their fleeting whims and desires.

Sorry if this isn't what you were going for, Huedell, but that's what I thought of when I read your opening post.

No apologies needed man---my protagonist IS closer to what grayhank described:

---RELUCTANT, SELFISH---

However, if you COMBINE that with the more "pure" Buddhist philosophy
that YOU described (Vort)---it gives me more more of a "balanced well"
to draw from for dialogue and character and such---not JUST for my hero--
-but for those who are interacting with him as well.

So big THANKs to BOTH of you

Also, grayhank, I had a nextdoor neighbor who introduced me to the NARNIA
books---he also tried to get me into MIDDLE EARTH and the Donaldson/Covenant books
(was it PRYDAIN?)---any ways the Covenant stuff you mentioned really brings back memories
of him trying to "sell" me on the series.

I'll have to check up on the Covenant stuff on wikipedia---

The "up" side of my neighbor's influence was he got me hardcore hooked on
NARNIA and, subsequently, C.S. LEWIS' philosophies

[huedell]

Oh one follow up post---imagine that my hero is VERY simillar in personality to PETER PAN

[grayhank]

I believe the Prydain Chronicles were Alexander Lloyd (or is that Lloyd Alexander) which Disney's The Black Cauldron is based on one of the books.

Thomas Covenant is NOT a likeable character by any means, but he is the "hero" and it's the people that are around him that are likeable ones. They essentially put up with all his crap and negativity, no matter what the outcome.

[huedell]

I believe the Prydain Chronicles were Alexander Lloyd (or is that Lloyd Alexander) which Disney's The Black Cauldron is based on one of the books.

Thomas Covenant is NOT a likeable character by any means, but he is the "hero" and it's the people that are around him that are likeable ones. They essentially put up with all his crap and negativity, no matter what the outcome.

Yeah---that's pretty much like my PETER PAN character---altho like
Covenant (I'm assuming), there is some things he can offer to help the people
around him that make his selfishness more bearable.

(chalk Lloyd up with the others as stuff my nextdoor neighbor tried to get me into---it was
a BUNCH of stuff!)

[ctc]

>--RELUCTANT, SELFISH---

Objectivism; Ayn Rand

Existentialism comes close too....

>Buddhism says that we can remove ourselves from our attachment to/desire for the goods of the world,

"He who buys a CD player must also buy CDs...."

If you're curious (and I don't think Buddhism is quite where you're going) get a copy of the book "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones." It's a compilation of Buddhist parables and annecdotes.

Don C.

[garagesale]

The thought occurs to me that there have been a lot of "literary hermits" out there... I'm not sure how much reading you'd have to do to glean a specific philosophy, though.

Those that jump to mind immediately are J.D. Salinger, Emily Dickinson, Henry David Thoreau, Thomas Pynchon, Harper Lee, Margaret Mitchell, Eurgene O'Neill, Samuel Beckett, Jack Kerouac (at times), H.P. Lovecraft, Anne Rice, and Vladimir Nabokov.

There's probably more. I just noticed that all of those are Americans (I guess except Beckett). Probably says something about American individualism, though I'll bet there are some authors of other contries who are much the same (I think Joyce, who was Irish?).

I don't know if this helps, but maybe it can give a little insight...

JamesD

[ctc]

>The thought occurs to me that there have been a lot of "literary hermits" out there... I'm not sure how much reading you'd have to do to glean a specific philosophy, though.

Y'know.... I never thought of it, but you're right. I think for research purposes it's best to go right to the source and study some base philosophy instead of fictional works though. More material to work with.

Don C.