Superman and Philosophy: What Would the Man of Steel Do? PDF
Preview Superman and Philosophy: What Would the Man of Steel Do?
SUPERMAN AND PHILOSOPHY The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series Series Editor: William Irwin A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and a healthy helping of popular culture clears the cobwebs from Kant. Philosophy has had a public relations problem for a few centuries now. This series aims to change that, showing that philosophy is relevant to your life—and not just for answering the big questions like “To be or not to be?” but for answering the little questions: “To watch or not to watch South Park?” Thinking deeply about TV, movies, and music doesn’t make you a “complete idiot.” In fact it might make you a philosopher, someone who believes the unexamined life is not worth living and the unexamined cartoon is not worth watching. Already published in the series: 24 and Philosophy: The World According to Jack Lost and Philosophy: The Island Has Its Reasons Edited by Jennifer Hart Weed, Richard Brian Davis, Edited by Sharon M. Kaye and Ronald Weed Mad Men and Philosophy: Nothing Is as It Seems 30 Rock and Philosophy: We Want to Go to There Edited by James South and Rod Carveth Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy: Curiouser and Curiouser in Brain Surgery Edited by Richard Brian Davis Edited by William Irwin Arrested Development and Philosophy: They’ve Made a The Office and Philosophy: Scenes from Huge Mistake the Unfinished Life Edited by Kristopher Phillips and J. Jeremy Wisnewski Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski The Avengers and Philosophy: Earth’s Mightiest Thinkers South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Edited by Mark D. White Something Today Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul Edited by Robert Arp Edited by Mark D. White and Robert Arp Spider-Man and Philosophy: The Web of Inquiry Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy: Knowledge Here Edited by Jonathan Sanford Begins Out There Terminator and Philosophy: I’ll Be Back, Therefore I Am Edited by Jason T. Eberl Edited by Richard Brown and Kevin Decker The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy: Rock, Paper, True Blood and Philosophy: We Wanna Think Bad Scissors, Aristotle, Locke Things with You Edited by Dean Kowalski Edited by George Dunn and Rebecca Housel The Big Lebowski and Philosophy: Keeping Your Mind Twilight and Philosophy: Vampires, Vegetarians, and the Limber with Abiding Wisdom Pursuit of Immortality Edited by Peter S. Fosl Edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski Black Sabbath and Philosophy: Mastering Reality The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Edited by William Irwin Muggles The Daily Show and Philosophy: Moments of Zen in the Edited by Gregory Bassham Art of Fake News The Ultimate Lost and Philosophy: Think Together, Edited by Jason Holt Die Alone Downton Abbey and Philosophy: The Truth Is Edited by Sharon M. Kaye Neither Here Nor There The Walking Dead and Philosophy: Shotgun. Machete. Edited by Mark D. White Reason. Family Guy and Philosophy: A Cure for the Petarded Edited by Christopher Robichaud Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test Final Fantasy and Philosophy: The Ultimate Walkthrough Edited by Mark D. White Edited by Jason P. Blahuta and Michel S. Beaulieu X-Men and Philosophy: Astonishing Insight and Uncanny Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Logic Cuts Argument in the Mutant X-Verse Deeper Than Swords Edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski Edited by Henry Jacoby Forthcoming: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Philosophy: Avatar and Philosophy Everything is Fire Edited by George Dunn Edited by Eric Bronson Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy Green Lantern and Philosophy: No Evil Shall Escape this Book Edited by Christopher Robichaud Edited by Jane Dryden and Mark D. White Ender’s Game and Philosophy Heroes and Philosophy: Buy the Book, Save the World Edited by Kevin Decker Edited by David Kyle Johnson Sons of Anarchy and Philosophy The Hobbit and Philosophy: For When You’ve Lost Your Edited by George Dunn and Jason Eberl Dwarves, Your Wizard, and Your Way Supernatural and Philosophy Edited by Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson Edited by Galen Foresman House and Philosophy: Everybody Lies The Ultimate Daily Show and Philosophy: More Moments Edited by Henry Jacoby of Zen, More Moments of Indecision Theory The Hunger Games and Philosophy: A Critique of Pure Treason Edited by Jason Holt Edited by George Dunn and Nicolas Michaud The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy: Inception and Philosophy: Because It’s Never Just a Dream Respect My Philosophah! Edited by David Johnson Edited by Robert Arp and Kevin Decker Iron Man and Philosophy: Facing the Stark Reality Edited by Mark D. White SUPERMAN AND PHILOSOPHY WHAT WOULD THE MAN OF STEEL DO? Edited by Mark D. White A John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Publication This edition first published 2013 © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Wiley-Blackwell is an imprint of John Wiley & Sons, formed by the merger of Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical and Medical business with Blackwell Publishing. Registered Office John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK Editorial Offices 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. The right of Mark D. White to be identified as the author of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Superman and philosophy : what would the Man of Steel do? / edited by Mark D. White. pages cm. – (The Blackwell philosophy and popCulture series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-118-01809-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Superman (Fictitious character) 2. Philosophy in literature. 3. Comic books, strips, etc–Moral and ethical aspects. I. White, Mark D., 1971– PN6728.S9S866 2013 741.5′9–dc23 2012050375 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Cover image: © PeskyMonkey/istockphoto Cover design by www.simonlevyassociates.co.uk Set in 10.5/13pt Sabon by SPi Publisher Services, Pondicherry, India 1 2013 Contents Introduction: It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane … It’s Philosophy! 1 Part One The Big Blue Boy Scout: Ethics, Judgment, and Reason 3 1 Moral Judgment: The Power That Makes Superman Human 5 Mark D. White 2 Action Comics! Superman and Practical Reason 16 Brian Feltham 3 Can the Man of Tomorrow Be the Journalist of Today? 26 Jason Southworth and Ruth Tallman 4 Could Superman Have Joined the Third Reich? The Importance and Shortcomings of Moral Upbringing 37 Robert Sharp Part Two Truth, Justice, and the American Way: What Do They Mean? 47 5 Clark Kent Is Superman! The Ethics of Secrecy 49 Daniel P. Malloy 6 Superman and Justice 61 Christopher Robichaud v vi CONTENTS 7 Is Superman an American Icon? 71 Andrew Terjesen Part Three The Will to Superpower: Nietzsche, theÜbermensch, and Existentialism 83 8 Rediscovering Nietzsche’s Übermensch in Superman as a Heroic Ideal 85 Arno Bogaerts 9 Superman or Last Man: The Ethics of Superpower 101 David Gadon 10 Superman: From Anti-Christ to Christ-Type 111 Adam Barkman 11 Superman Must Be Destroyed! Lex Luthor as Existentialist Anti-Hero 121 Sarah K. Donovan and Nicholas Richardson Part Four The Ultimate Hero: What Do We Expect fromSuperman? 131 12 Superman’s Revelation: The Problem of Violence in Kingdom Come 133 David Hatfield 13 A World Without a Clark Kent? 145 Randall M. Jensen 14 The Weight of the World: How Much Is Superman Morally Responsible For? 157 Audrey L. Anton Part Five Superman and Humanity: A Match Made onKrypton? 169 15 Superman and Man: What a Kryptonian Can Teach Us About Humanity 171 Leonard Finkelman CONTENTS vii 16 Can the Man of Steel Feel Our Pain? Sympathy and Superman 181 Andrew Terjesen 17 World’s Finest Philosophers: Superman and Batman on Human Nature 194 Carsten Fogh Nielsen Part Six Of Superman and Superminds: Who Is Superman, Anyway? 205 18 “It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s … Clark Kent?” Superman and the Problem of Identity 207 Nicolas Michaud 19 Superman Family Resemblance 217 Dennis Knepp 20 Why Superman Should Not Be Able to Read Minds 225 Mahesh Ananth Contributors: Trapped in the Philosophy Zone 237 Index: From Brainiac’s Files 243 Introduction It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane … It’s Philosophy! Superman may not have been the first superhero, but ever since his introduction in Action Comics #1 in 1938, he has been the model for every superhero to follow. For the past 75 years, Superman has thrilled millions with his adventures in comic books, movies, and television shows. His legacy transcends national, cultural, and gener- ationalborders, mainly because he strikes so many universal themes. He’s a strange visitor from another planet who longs to be human. He’s a mild-mannered farm boy from Kansas who wins the heart of a cosmopolitan reporter from the big city. He’s the idealistic big blue boy scout who befriends a cynical dark knight detective. Finally, he’s the ultimate hero who serves as an inspiration for the rest of the world’s costumed protectors—and a few of its best philosophers. Many people struggle to identify with Superman, regarding him as too perfect, too noble, too good. These qualities just make him an ideal, though, not something to reject but something to aspire to. When we scratch the surface, we find Superman is not that simple. In fact, he raises a lot of intriguing philosophical questions. If Superman is that good, why does he so often resort to violence? Why does he lie to protect his secret identity, and how does he reconcile this with a reporter’s devotion to the truth? Could Lex Luthor be right in telling us Superman is the real threat to humanity? Is Superman the realiza- tion of Nietzsche’s Übermensch—and is that a good or bad thing? Just how important is the big red “S,” the cape, and the spit-curl to Superman and Philosophy: What Would the Man of Steel Do?, First Edition. Edited by Mark D. White. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1 2 INTRODUCTION who Superman is? And is there a good reason why Lois can’t tell that Clark Kent is really Superman? Superman and Philosophy addresses all these questions and more. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a casual Superman fan or if you’ve read all the comics, seen all the movies, and watched all the live-action TV shows and cartoons. The 20 chapters in this book will answer some questions you’ve always had, make you think about Superman in ways you never realized were possible, and teach you a little philosophy along the way. So tell the Chief you’re taking the day off, find your own Fortress of Solitude, and start reading. Up, up, and away! I would like to thank Bill Irwin, the real Superman behind the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, for giving me the honor of editing this landmark volume. (I really didn’t need to see him in the costume, though. The Supergirl costume, I mean.) I also thank Connie Santisteban and Jeff Dean at Wiley-Blackwell for supporting this book from start to finish. Special thanks go out to my contributors, who have a job at my large metropolitan newspaper whenever they want. Finally, all my thanks to the wonderful creators who have made Superman such a symbol of heroism for the last 75 years, especially the two who started it all, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Part One THE BIG BLUE BOY SCOUT ETHICS, JUDGMENT, AND REASON
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