The Avengers and Philosophy: Earth's Mightiest Thinkers

The Avengers and Philosophy: Earth's Mightiest Thinkers

Author: Visit Amazon's Mark D. White Page | Language: English | ISBN: 1118074572 | Format: PDF

The Avengers and Philosophy: Earth's Mightiest Thinkers Description

From the Back Cover

Can a reformed criminal become a superhero?

What are the military ethics of the Kree-Skrull war?

Is Hank Pym morally responsible for Ultron's behavior?

Can Kang really go back in time and kill himself?

Can an android love a human?

Avengers assemble! Confronting your most essential philosophical questions about Earth's Mightiest Heroes, this powerful book will vanquish any confusion you may have regarding the many issues and conflicts involving your favorite band of superheroes and their crime-fighting adventures. Enlisting the help of an A-list team of history's most prominent thinkers including Aristotle, John Locke, and Immanuel Kant, this book tackles the dilemmas no single great philosopher can withstand, whether in The Avengers comics, film, or animated television series. Armed with the insights and reflections of these formidable minds, you'll understand Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the other members of Marvel's all-star superhero team as never before, no matter where the quest for justice leads them next.

To learn more about the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, visit www.andphilosophy.com

Product Details
Table of Contents
Reviews

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 13, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1118074572
ISBN-13: 978-1118074572
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

INTRODUCTION: Earth’s Mightiest Philosophers 1

PART ONE WHAT WOULD AN AVENGER DO?

1 Superhuman Ethics Class with the Avengers Prime 5
Mark D. White

2 Shining the Light on the Dark Avengers 18
Sarah Donovan and Nick Richardson

3 The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Family 28
Jason Southworth and Ruth Tallman

PART TWO WHO IS AN AVENGER?

4 Superhero Identity: Case Studies in the Avengers 43
Stephen M. Nelson

5 I Am Made of Ink: She-Hulk and Metacomics 57
Roy T. Cook

6 The Self-Corruption of Norman Osborn: A Cautionary Tale 71
Robert Powell

PART THREE SHOULD THE AVENGERS DO MORE THAN AVENGE?

7 Forgivers Assemble! 83
Daniel P. Malloy

8 Gods, Beasts, and Political Animals: Why the Avengers Assemble 98
Tony Spanakos

9 Cap’s Kooky Quartet: Is Rehabilitation Possible? 113
Andrew Terjesen

PART FOUR DO THE AVENGERS EVER GO TOO FAR?

10 Fighting the Good Fight: Military Ethics and the Kree-Skrull War 131
Christopher Robichaud

11 Secrets and Lies: Compromising the Avengers’ Values for the Good of the World 142
Louis P. Melançon

12 The Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Problem with Proactive Superheroics 154
Arno Bogaerts

PART FIVE WHAT KIND OF WORLD DO THE AVENGERS LIVE IN?

13 Can Kang Kill His Past Self? The Paradox of Time Travel 171
Andrew Zimmerman Jones

14 “No Other Gods Before Me”: God, Ontology, and Ethics in the Avengers’ Universe 183
Adam Barkman

15 Love Avengers Style: Can an Android Love a Human? 194
Charles Klayman

16 The Way of the Arrow: Hawkeye Meets the Taoist Masters 204
Mark D. White

APPENDIX: Why Are There Four Volumes of Avengers? 217

CONTRIBUTORS: Avengers Academy 221

INDEX: From Jarvis’s Secret Files 227

This is an excellent collection of essays. It covers a diverse range of philosophical topics. Almost every essay is not only well-written, but engaging and relevant for the average person in today's world. Unlike typical essays in previous entries in this Wiley-Blackwell series on "Philosophy and Pop Culture", these essays do tend to run a bit shorter than usual. This book is only 240 pages long, as opposed to more than 260 to 290 pages in other entries in the series.

There is a balanced mix of great and contemporary philosophers in these essays. Typical philosophical subjects, such as ethics and identity, are covered. But, and perhaps owing more to the richer subject matter available in an extant comic book series created in 1963, the reader is given the chance to be exposed to topics not typically covered in books like these. Editor Mark D. White starts off with an essay on the three major schools of ethics (deontology, utilitarianism and virtue ethics) by comparing Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. The "nature vs. nurture" debate is covered by the "Southworth/Tallman" household (they hit a home run with this one, making amends for their lackluster contribution in "Green Lantern and Philosophy"). The idea of the "meta" in art, as applied to comic books, is explored. (But watch out, She-Hulk may just jump out of this book and drag you in!). Can an android love a human? In fact, what is love? What are the different kinds of love, and how do they relate to each other? Here, the ideas of C.S. Lewis are presented and applied.

"Softer" topics are also explored. What is forgiveness? Can forgiveness be earned? (The answer may surprise you.) How does one find fulfillment? Can a wrongdoer be rehabilitated? Is it "right" to be proactive in dealing with crime?

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