We all know those crazy metaphysicists. The ones that have all the answers about life, humanity, and the secret to “things beyond.” We’ve compiled a list of the top ten in the Science Fiction and Fantasy world. These might be the ones we like best, please feel free to come up with your own and let us know!
10. Hari Seldon. Hari Seldon sees human behavior as something that can be predicted on a mass scale. As a Psycho-Historian, he sees the Empire headed for chaos and knows what to do about it. He works out a thousand year plan, which despite complications works. His exploits are in the Foundation Series, by Isaac Asimov.
9. David Bowman. Dr. David Bowman sets out to unravel the mysterious of the Universe in Stanley Kubick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey.. He then finds himself in the center of the mysteries of the Universe. It is in the film 2010: The Year We Make Contact that Dr. Bowman starts to reveal the secrets he has learned, after being missing for nine years.
8. Glinda. From the movie The Wizard of Oz,. Glinda dispenses her wisdom, but never revealing all the secrets. And like all grand metaphysicists, announces that the thing one is looking for is there all along.
7. Mr. Peabody. Mr. Peabody, as everyone knows is a talking dog with a time machine. He spends his time teaching his young protégé, Sherman, the meaning of life. For examples he uses real life events at real-time. Can’t get much more metaphysical than that! Or maybe…
6. Morpheus. Officially, Morpheus was the captain of the Nebuchadnezzar. Unofficially, he was tasked to search for “The One.” When he finds such a person, Morpheus trained the one and all levels – physically, spiritually, and metaphysically.
5. Spock. Yes Spock. Spock is the perfect blend of calculating scientist and wizard. His ability to crunch numbers is overshadowed by his focused attention on logic. If that isn’t enough, there’s the Vulcan mind-meld. Don’t forget the time in Star Trek – The Search For Spock. How metaphysical is it to hide your “essence” is someone else’s body. Weird, but cool.
4. Galadriel. The Elven queen from The Lord of the Rings. Galadriel is feared by most of the residences of Middle Earth. Galadriel can enter minds far away and plant thoughts and ideas. She can see the future, and she’s hot!
3. The Lady Jessica. Paul Atreides’ mother from Dune. Not only did she give birth to the prophesied new ruler of Dune, she teaches the “Weirding Way” to rally the indigenous people of the world Dune.
2. Yoda. The ultimate leader of the Jedi Knights. He is the ultimate teacher. He can lift a X Wing fighter just by thinking about it. Move over Chuck Norris!
1. Rod Serling. Rod Serling as The Narrator of The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. He knew all, saw all. He knew what was going to happen next and was not surprised by the outcome.
Wow, a Sherman and Peabody reference (I have the original coffee mug), though you must be chastised for passing on Buckaroo Banzai, who clearly has mad metaphysical skillz.
The trouble with Buckaroo Banzai is that he is so wise and proficient on so many levels. It would be unwise to pigeonhole him with such a paltry label.
Buckaroo Banzai was a seminal influence on Channel 37. When the film came out, I was in high school; “Wherever You Go, There You Are” became my operational philosophy for years.
Gary is right, BB merits his own category. Otherwise, it would be like describing James Bond as “the guy who knows a lot about wine.” 😀
I must disagree.
It’s like saying Louie Armstrong can’t be considered a great horn player because he sang “What a Wonderful World” better than anyone else.
I demand a recount.