Batman and Philosophy The Dark Knight of the Soul

by Irwin, William; White, Mark D.; Arp, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780470270301
• ISBN10: 0470270306
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-06-23
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Why doesn't Batman just kill the Joker and end everyone's misery? Can we hold the Joker morally responsible for his actions? Is Batman better than Superman? If everyone followed Batman's example, would Gotham be a better place? What is the Tao of the Bat? Batman is one of the most complex characters ever to appear in comic books, graphic novels, and on the big screen. What philosophical trials does this superhero confront in order to keep Gotham safe? Combing through seventy years of comic books, television shows, and movies, Batman and Philosophy explores how the Dark Knight grapples with ethical conundrums, moral responsibility, his identity crisis, the moral weight he carries to avenge his murdered parents, and much more. How does this caped crusader measure up against the teachings of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Kierkegaard, and Lao Tzu?

Author Biography

Mark D. White is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy at the College of Staten Island/CUNY.

Robert Arp is a postdoctoral research associate through the National Center for Biomedical Ontology at the University at Buffalo, and edited South Park and Philosophy.

William Irwin is a professor of philosophy at King's College, Pennsylvania, and has coedited The Simpsons and Philosophy and edited Seinfeld and Philosophy, The Matrix and Philosophy, and Metallica and Philosophy.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments: The Oscar Speech George Clooney Never Got to Make

Introduction: Riddle Me This...Part One: Does the Dark Knight Always Do Right?

Why Doesn't Batman Kill the Joker(

Is It Right to Make a Robin(

Batman's Virtuous Hatred(

No Man's Land: Social Order in Gotham City and New Orleans(

Governing Gotham(

The Joker's Wild: Can We Hold the Clown Prince Morally Responsible(

Batman's Promise(

Should Bruce Wayne Have Become Batman(

What Would Batman Do? Bruce Wayne as Moral Exemplar(

Under the mask: How Any Person Can Become Batman(

Could Batman Have Been the Joker(

Batman's Identity Crisis and Wittgenstein's Family Resemblance(

What Is It Like to Be a Batman(

Alfred, the Dark Knight of Faith: Batman and Kierkegaar (

Dark Nights and the Call of conscience(

Batman's Confrontation with Death, Angst, and Freedom(

Why Batman IS Better than Superman(

World's Finest...Friends? Batman, Superman, and the Nature of Friendship(

Leaving the Shadow of the Bat: Aristotle, Kant, and Dick Grayson on Moral Education(

The Tao of the Bat(

Contributors

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.