William Irwin - Superheroes: The Best of Philosophy and Pop Culture

Contents

The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series

Series Editor: William Irwin

South Park and Philosophy

Edited by Robert Arp

Metallica and Philosophy

Edited by William Irwin

Family Guy and Philosophy

Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

The Daily Show and Philosophy

Edited by Jason Holt

Lost and Philosophy

Edited by Sharon Kaye

24 and Philosophy

Edited by Jennifer Hart Weed, Richard Davis, and Ronald Weed

Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy

Edited by Jason T. Eberl

The Office and Philosophy

Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Batman and Philosophy

Edited by Mark D. White and Robert Arp

House and Philosophy

Edited by Henry Jacoby

Watchmen and Philosophy

Edited by Mark D. White

X-Men and Philosophy

Edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Terminator and Philosophy

Edited by Richard Brown and Kevin Decker

Heroes and Philosophy

Edited by David Kyle Johnson

Twilight and Philosophy

Edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Final Fantasy and Philosophy

Edited by Jason P. Blahuta and Michel S. Beaulieu

Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy

Edited by Richard Brian Davis

Iron Man and Philosophy

Edited by Mark D. White

True Blood and Philosophy

Edited by George Dunn and Rebecca Housel

Mad Men and Philosophy

Edited by James South and Rod Carveth

30 Rock and Philosophy

Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski

The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy

Edited by Gregory Bassham

The Ultimate Lost and Philosophy

Edited by Sharon Kaye

Green Lantern and Philosophy

Edited by Jane Dryden and Mark D. White

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Philosophy

Edited by Eric Bronson

Arrested Development and Philosophy

Edited by Kristopher Phillips and J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Copyright 2011 by John Wiley and Sons. All rights reserved

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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ISBN 978-1-118-15347-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-15348-2 (ebk)

About the Book

This is a compilation of some of our best superhero essays in the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series with a preview of some of our forthcoming books and two essays that are exclusive to this sampler.

Part One: Superheroes Exclusives

1. Lord Odin Have Mercy: Justice and Punishment in Asgard

Mark D. White

2. Captain America and the Virtue of Modesty

Mark D. White

Part Two: DC Superheroes

3. Is Superman an American Icon?

Andrew Terjesen

From Superman and Philosophy , edited by Mark D. White

4. The Blackest Night for Aristotles Account of Emotions

Jason Southworth

From Green Lantern and Philosophy , edited by Jane Dryden and Mark D. White

5. Why Doesnt Batman Kill the Joker?

Mark D. White

From Batman and Philosophy , edited by Mark D. White and Robert Arp

6. Can We Steer This Rudderless World?: Kant, Rorschach, Retributivism, and Honor

Jacob M. Held

From Watchmen and Philosophy , edited by Mark D. White

Part Three: Marvel Superheroes

7. Forgivers Assemble!

Daniel P. Malloy

From Avengers and Philosophy , edited by Mark D. White

8. Does Peter Parker Have a Good Life?

Neil Mussett

From Spider-Man and Philosophy , edited by Jonathan J. Sanford

9. The Stark Madness of Technology

George A. Dunn

From Iron Man and Philosophy , edited by Mark D. White

10. Amnesia, Personal Identity, and the Many Lives of Wolverine

Jason Southworth

From X-Men and Philosophy , edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski

Introduction

Taking Superheroes Seriously

William Irwin

Philosophy can change your life, but it may take a superhero for you to realize it. Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and company dont just entertain us; they prompt us to think. I mean, why doesnt Batman just kill the Joker and be done with it? Sure, that would be bad for future comic book sales, but, as well see in this book, the Dark Knight has his philosophical reasons, too.

Philosophers specialize in theory, but people tend to learn better when something unfamiliar, such as philosophy, is explained in terms of something familiar, such as television, movies, comic books, music, or videogames. The philosophers of old understood this and came up with their own memorable examples to illustrate their theories, from Platos (428348 BCE) allegory of the cave to Descartes (15961650) evil deceiver and beyond. In this book, we continue that long tradition by using examples from the realm of superheroes.

Why? Because superheroes are complex characters and have become the mythology of our time (literally, in the case of Thor!). Like the gods, superheroes tend to have basic origin stories and character traits, which set the stage for a limitless number and variety of tales. And like the gods of mythology, superheroes are not perfect; they are not like the all-loving, all-good, all-powerful God of Western religion. Still, our flawed heroes can act as moral exemplars. For those not inclined to ask W.W.J.D.?, it can make sense to ask W.W.C.A.D.? What would Captain America do?

Some people might worry that we cant learn anything from superheroes since theyre just make-believe, but, like the ancient myths, tales of superheroes dont need to be true or realistic to be inspiring. You dont need to have been bitten by a radioactive spider to realize that with great power comes great responsibility. Heck, you dont even need to have great power to learn and appreciate that lessonkids and grown-ups alike have gotten that lesson from Spidey for decades.