Philosophical Reference
Calvin is named after 16th Century theologian and philosopher John Calvin. The namesake is known for his belief in predestination, which the character alludes to and even tends to believe in himself. This is opposed to the stuffed tiger's governing philosophy of materialism and poor outlook on life and human nature. Thus, in other words, young Calvin is an elementary Calvinist, and the tiger an elementary Hobbesist.
The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva (under Calvinist rule) and wrote The Social Contract (inspired by Thomas Hobbes). His book Émile is about the upbringing of a young boy and the role of freedom and imagination in his development.
Read more about this topic: Calvin (Calvin And Hobbes)
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“Meaning is what essence becomes when it is divorced from the object of reference and wedded to the word.”
—Willard Van Orman Quine (b. 1908)