The article analyzes the legacy of philosophical thought of Stoic and Epicurean Hellenistic schools in contemporary popular culture, in particular, in American cinema and two hyper-real religions: Jedaism and Dudeism. The aim of the research is to update the concepts of ancient thinkers in the context of popular culture. The study demonstrates that the theories of the Stoics and Epicureans still play a significant role in the life of modern society, offering variants of life philosophy, which is clearly embodied in the use of their ideas in a number of popular feature films. Moreover, the article also proves that Jedaism and Dudeism, new religious movements that arose on the basis of the “Star Wars” epic movie by J. Lucas’ and “The Big Lebowski” made by the Coen brothers, are directly related to the philosophy of these Hellenistic schools, since Jedaism is largely based on the teachings of the Stoics, and Dudeism is based on the Epicurean ones.

Keywords: Stoics, Epicureans, philosophy and cinema, religion and popular culture, hyper-real religions, Jedaism, Dudeism

DOI: 10.22250/2072-8662.2020.3.97-105

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About the author 

Olga K. Mikhelson – PhD (Philosophy), Associate Professor at the Department of the Philosophy of Religion and Religious Studies, Institute of Philosophy; St. Petersburg State University; 5 Mendeleevskaya line, St. Petersburg, Russia, 199034; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.