Heroes and Philosophy Buy the Book, Save the World

by Irwin, William; Johnson, David K.

• ISBN13: 9780470373385
• ISBN10: 0470373385
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-08-17
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

When ordinary individuals from around the world inexplicably develop superhuman abilities, they question who they are, struggle to cope with new responsibilities, and decide whether to use their new power for good or for evil. This is the universe of Tim Kring's hit TV show Heroes. Every episode is a philosophical quandary and Heroes and Philosophy is the first book to analyze how philosophy makes this show so fascinating.Heroes is more reflective than your average television show. By looking philosophically at Heroes, readers have a unique opportunity to examine questions crucial to our existence as thinking, rational beings. Is the Company evil, or good? Does Hiro really have a destiny? Do we? Could mind reading be a power that we already have? Is time travel actually possible? If so, could we, like Hiro, use it to save the lives of those we love? What obligations do we have to family? Is it okay to lie in order to hide your powers or save the world? Shouldn't the heroes of Heroes get paid for their services? Heroes and Philosophy offers answers to these and other fascinating questions about one of the most popular TV shows on the air.

Author Biography

David Kyle Johnson is an assistant professor of philosophy at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He has contributed to several books in the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, including Family Guy and Philosophy and The Office and Philosophy.

William Irwin is a professor of philosophy at King's College. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as coeditor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy and has overseen recent titles, including Batman and Philosophy, House and Philosophy, and Watchmen and Philosophy.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments: Godsends	p. ix
Introduction: The Wonder of Heroes	p. 1
Heroic Obligations
Above the Social Contract? How Superheroes Break Society	p. 6
Heroes, Obligations, and the Ethics of Saving the World	p. 22
Corporate Capers: The Moral Dimensions of Working for the Company	p. 35
With Great Creativity Comes Great Imitation: Problems of Plagiarism and Knowledge	p. 49
Supermen, Samurai, and Invisible Men
Time and the Meaning of Life in Heroes and Nietzsche	p. 66
Hiro Nakamura, Bushido, and Hero Archetypes	p. 79
Plato on Gyges' Ring of Invisibility: The Power of Heroes and the Value of Virtue	p. 93
Metaphysics, Regular Physics, and Heroic Time Travel
The Foreknowledge of a Painter, the Fate of a Hiro	p. 110
Time to Be a Hero: Branching Time and Changing the Future	p. 123
Heroes and the Ethics of Time Travel: Does the Present Matter?	p. 140
The Science of Heroes: Flying Men, Immortal Samurai, and Destroying the Space-Time Continuum	p. 155
Pseudoscience, Scientific Revolutions, and Dr. Chandra Suresh	p. 174
The Minds of Heroes
Peter Petrelli, the Haitian, and the Philosophical Implications of Memory Loss	p. 184
Understanding Other Minds: Philosophical Foundations of Heroes' Mind-Reading Powers	p. 200
Peter Petrelli: The Power of Empathy	p. 222
Villains, Family, and Lying
Are the Heroes Really Good?	p. 240
Heroes and Family Obligations	p. 254
Concealment and Lying: Is That Any Way for a Hero to Act?	p. 268
Contributors: Our Heroes	p. 281
Chandra Suresh's List: A Catalogue of Powers, Both Natural and Synthetic	p. 287
Index: The Power of Omniscience	p. 301
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.