Wonder Woman and philosophy : the Amazonian mystique

230 Pages·2017·1.82 MB·English

by  Jacob M. Held

WONDER WOMAN
AND PHILOSOPHY
TheBlackwellPhilosophyandPopCultureSeries
SerieseditorWilliamIrwin
Aspoonfulofsugarhelpsthemedicinegodown,andahealthyhelpingofpopularcultureclearsthecobwebs
fromKant.Philosophyhashadapublicrelationsproblemforafewcenturiesnow.Thisseriesaimstochangethat,
showingthatphilosophyisrelevanttoyourlife—andnotjustforansweringthebigquestionslike“Tobeornot
tobe?”butforansweringthelittlequestions:“TowatchornottowatchSouthPark?”ThinkingdeeplyaboutTV,
movies,andmusicdoesn’tmakeyoua“completeidiot.”Infactitmightmakeyouaphilosopher,someonewho
believestheunexaminedlifeisnotworthlivingandtheunexaminedcartoonisnotworthwatching.
Alreadypublishedintheseries:
24andPhilosophy:TheWorldAccordingtoJack EditedbyGeorgeDunnandNicolasMichaud
EditedbyJenniferHartWeed,RichardBrianDavis,and InceptionandPhilosophy:BecauseIt’sNeverJusta
RonaldWeed Dream
30RockandPhilosophy:WeWanttoGotoThere EditedbyDavidJohnson
EditedbyJ.JeremyWisnewski IronManandPhilosophy:FacingtheStarkReality
AliceinWonderlandandPhilosophy:Curiouserand EditedbyMarkD.White
Curiouser LostandPhilosophy:TheIslandHasItsReasons
EditedbyRichardBrianDavis EditedbySharonM.Kaye
ArrestedDevelopmentandPhilosophy:They’veMade MadMenandPhilosophy:NothingIsasItSeems
aHugeMistake EditedbyJamesSouthandRodCarveth
EditedbyKristopherPhillipsandJ.JeremyWisnewski
MetallicaandPhilosophy:ACrashCourseinBrain
AvatarandPhilosophy:LearningtoSee Surgery
EditedbyGeorgeA.Dunn EditedbyWilliamIrwin
TheAvengersandPhilosophy:Earth’sMightiest TheOfficeandPhilosophy:Scenesfromthe
Thinkers UnfinishedLife
EditedbyMarkD.White EditedbyJ.JeremyWisnewski
BatmanandPhilosophy:TheDarkKnightoftheSoul SonsofAnarchyandPhilosophy:BrainsBeforeBullets
EditedbyMarkD.WhiteandRobertArp EditedbyGeorgeA.DunnandJasonT.Eberl
BattlestarGalacticaandPhilosophy:KnowledgeHere SouthParkandPhilosophy:YouKnow,ILearned
BeginsOutThere SomethingToday
EditedbyJasonT.Eberl EditedbyRobertArp
TheBigBangTheoryandPhilosophy:Rock,Paper, Spider-ManandPhilosophy:TheWebofInquiry
Scissors,Aristotle,Locke EditedbyJonathanSanford
EditedbyDeanKowalski
SupermanandPhilosophy:WhatWouldtheManof
TheBigLebowskiandPhilosophy:KeepingYour SteelDo?
MindLimberwithAbidingWisdom EditedbyMarkD.White
EditedbyPeterS.Fosl
SupernaturalandPhilosophy:Metaphysicsand
BioShockandPhilosophy:IrrationalGame,Rational Monsters...forIdjits
Book EditedbyGalenForesman
EditedbyLukeCuddy
TerminatorandPhilosophy:I’llBeBack,ThereforeI
BlackSabbathandPhilosophy:MasteringReality Am
EditedbyWilliamIrwin EditedbyRichardBrownandKevinDecker
TheDailyShowandPhilosophy:MomentsofZenin TrueBloodandPhilosophy:WeWannaThinkBad
theArtofFakeNews ThingswithYou
EditedbyJasonHolt EditedbyGeorgeDunnandRebeccaHousel
DowntonAbbeyandPhilosophy:TheTruthIs TwilightandPhilosophy:Vampires,Vegetarians,and
NeitherHereNorThere thePursuitofImmortality
EditedbyMarkD.White EditedbyRebeccaHouselandJ.JeremyWisnewski
Dungeons&DragonsandPhilosophy:ReadandGain TheUltimateDailyShowandPhilosophy:More
AdvantageonAllWisdomChecks MomentsofZen,MoreMomentsofIndecision
EditedbyChristopherRobichaud Theory
Ender’sGameandPhilosophy:TheLogicGateis EditedbyJasonHolt
Down TheUltimateHarryPotterandPhilosophy:Hogwarts
EditedbyKevinS.Decker forMuggles
FamilyGuyandPhilosophy:ACureforthePetarded EditedbyGregoryBassham
EditedbyJ.JeremyWisnewski TheUltimateLostandPhilosophy:ThinkTogether,
FinalFantasyandPhilosophy:TheUltimate DieAlone
Walkthrough EditedbySharonKaye
EditedbyJasonP.BlahutaandMichelS.Beaulieu TheUltimateSouthParkandPhilosophy:RespectMy
GameofThronesandPhilosophy:LogicCutsDeeper Philosophah!
ThanSwords EditedbyRobertArpandKevinS.Decker
EditedbyHenryJacoby TheUltimateStarWarsandPhilosophy:YouMust
TheGirlWiththeDragonTattooandPhilosophy: UnlearnWhatYouHaveLearned
EverythingisFire EditedbyJasonT.EberlandKevinS.Decker
EditedbyEricBronson TheUltimateStarTrekandPhilosophy:
GreenLanternandPhilosophy:NoEvilShallEscape EditedbyJasonT.EberlandKevinS.Decker
thisBook TheWalkingDeadandPhilosophy:Shotgun.
EditedbyJaneDrydenandMarkD.White Machete.Reason.
HeroesandPhilosophy:BuytheBook,SavetheWorld EditedbyChristopherRobichaud
EditedbyDavidKyleJohnson WatchmenandPhilosophy:ARorschachTest
TheHobbitandPhilosophy:ForWhenYou’veLost EditedbyMarkD.White
YourDwarves,YourWizard,andYourWay VeronicaMarsandPhilosophy:Investigatingthe
EditedbyGregoryBasshamandEricBronson MysteriesofLife(WhichisaBitchUntilYouDie)
HouseandPhilosophy:EverybodyLies EditedbyGeorgeA.Dunn
EditedbyHenryJacoby X-MenandPhilosophy:AstonishingInsightand
HouseofCardsandPhilosophy:Capitalismwithout UncannyArgumentintheMutantX-Verse
Consumerism EditedbyRebeccaHouselandJ.JeremyWisnewski
EditedbyJ.EdwardHackett WonderWomanandPhilosophy:TheAmazonian
TheHungerGamesandPhilosophy:ACritiqueof Mystique
PureTreason EditedbyJacobM.Held
WONDER WOMAN
AND PHILOSOPHY
THE AMAZONIAN MYSTIQUE
Edited by Jacob M. Held
University of Central Arkansas, AR, US
Thiseditionfirstpublished2017
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Dedicated to my wife, Jennifer, who truly is Wonder
Woman, even if she refuses to wear the outfit.
Contents
Contributors:TheMyndiMayerFoundation xi
Acknowledgments xvii
Editor’sNote xix
Introduction:InandForaWorldofOrdinaryMortals 1
JacobM.Held
PartI YouAreaWonderWoman 3
1 Becominga(Wonder)Woman:Feminism,Nationalism,
andtheAmbiguityofFemaleIdentity 5
J.LenoreWright
2 TheGodofWarisWearingWhat?GenderintheNew52 19
SarahK.Donovan
3 WonderWomanvs.HarleyQuinn:TheParadoxofthe
MoralHero 31
JillHernandezandAllieHernandez
4 GreatHera!ConsideringWonderWoman’sSuperHeroism 44
TripMcCrossin
PartII DispatchesfromMan’sWorld 55
5 WonderWoman:FeministFauxPas? 57
AndreaZanin
vii
viii CONTENTS
6 FeministSymbolorFetish?Zˇizˇek,WonderWoman,and
FinalCrisis 72
MatthewWilliamBrake
7 WhenClarkMetDiana:FriendshipandRomancein
Comics 81
MatthewA.HoffmanandSaraKolmes
PartIII WhenIDealwithThem,IDealwithThem 91
8 BoundtoFacetheTruth:TheEthicsofUsingWonder
Woman’sLasso 93
MelanieJohnson-Moxley
9 “WhatIHadtoDo”:TheEthicsofWonderWoman’s
ExecutionofMaxwellLord 104
MarkD.White
10 CanaWarriorCare?WonderWomanandtheImprobable
IntersectionofCareEthicsandBushido 115
SteveBein
11 WonderWoman:SavingLivesthroughJustTorture? 126
AdamBarkmanandSabinaTokbergenova
12 WonderWomanWinningwithWords:AParagonof
Wisdom,DisarmingThreatsOneataTime... 133
FrancisTobienneJr.
PartIV God(s),Country,Sorority 141
13 WonderWoman,Worship,andGodsAlmighty:Purposein
SubmissiontoLovingAuthority 143
JacobM.Held
14 MercifulMinervainaModernMetropolis 151
DennisKnepp
15 WonderWomanandPatriarchy:FromThemyscira’s
AmazonstoWittig’sGue´rrille`res 162
Mo´nicaCanoAbad´ıa
CONTENTS ix
PartV TyingUpLooseEnds 171
16 TheLassoofTruth? 173
JamesEdwinMahon
17 LovingLassos:WonderWoman,Kink,andCare 188
MariaChavez,ChrisGavaler,andNathanielGoldberg
18 GoldenLassosandLogicalParadoxes 198
RoyT.CookandNathanKellen
Index 209
Contributors: The Myndi
Mayer Foundation
Mo´nica Cano Abad´ıa is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the
University of Zaragoza (Spain). Her doctoral dissertation focused on
thephilosophyofJudithButlerandthepossibilitiesforsocialtransfor-
mation.SheisafeministactivistwhohaslovedWonderWomanever
sinceshereadAllStarComics#8.Alreadybeingafanofsuperheroes,
this issue opened a whole new perspective: there were superheroines
out there, fighting villains and heteropatriarchy at the same time! It’s
nowonderthatshehasalsobecomeateacheroffeministself-defense.
Her recent research interests include global justice and migrations,
intersectionaltheory,newmaterialismsandposthumanisms.
Adam Barkman is a philosopher and author of five books, including
Making Sense of Islamic Art and Architecture (Thames and Hudson,
2015), and the co-editor of four books on philosophy, film, and pop
culture,mostrecentlyDowntonAbbeyandPhilosophy(OpenCourt,
2015). Although Adam’s wife doesn’t claim to be a superhero, she is
remarkablyefficientatwashingtheirdaughterKatie’sfavoriteWonder
Womanshirteverydaysoit’sreadyforanotherdayofheroics.
Steve Bein is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of
Dayton,whereheisaspecialistinAsianthought,primarilyJapanese
andChinesephilosophy.HeisacontributortoTheUltimateStarTrek
andPhilosophyandLEGOandPhilosophy,andheisalsoanaward-
winning author of science fiction and fantasy. Despite his repeated
xi
xii CONTRIBUTORS:THEMYNDIMAYERFOUNDATION
attempts, no matter how often he spins in place he has never once
managedtotransmogrifyhimselfintoascantilycladLyndaCarter.
Matthew William Brake graduated from Regent University with a
Master’sofDivinityin2009.Currently,heisgoingtoGeorgeMason
University in Fairfax, VA to pursue an MA in interdisciplinary stud-
ies with an emphasis on religion, cultures, and values and an MA in
philosophy. In the past, his research has focused on the relationship
betweenSørenKierkegaardandmysticism,andhehaswrittennumer-
ous articles for the series Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception,
Resources.HegetsterrifiedwheneverhethinksaboutgoingforaPhD
andcouldusesomeofWonderWoman’scourage!
LikeElizabethHollowayMarston,thereal-lifeinspirationforWonder
Woman,MariaChavezisagraduateofMountHolyokeCollege.She’s
also happy to see Grant Morrison’s Wonder Woman returning back
toherfeministandkinkyroots.WhenWonderWomanasks,“Isn’tit
more fun to make the man obey?” Maria would respond, “Yes it is,
WonderWoman.Yesitis!”
RoyT.CookisCLAScholaroftheCollegeandProfessorofPhiloso-
phyattheUniversityofMinnesota—TwinCities.Heistheauthorof
TheYabloParadox:AnEssayonCircularity(Oxford,2014)andKey
ConceptinPhilosophy:Paradoxes(Polity,2013)andtheco-editorof
The Art of Comics: A Philosophical Approach (with Aaron Meskin,
Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), the Routledge Companion to Comics (with
AaronMeskinandFrankBramlett,Routledge,2016),andLEGOand
Philosophy(withSondraBacharach,Wiley-Blackwell,forthcoming).
Sarah K. Donovan is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Wag-
ner College. Her teaching and research interests include community-
based,feminist,social,moral,andContinentalphilosophy.Whileshe
isnotknownforherkeenfashionsense,shestillthinksatwenty-first-
centuryWonderWomanreallyshouldask,whilelookingatheroutfit
inthemirror,“WouldTimGunnsay‘makeitwork’?”
ChrisGavalerisanAssistantProfessorofEnglishatWashingtonand
LeeUniversity.HisbookOntheOriginofSuperheroeswaspublished
bytheUniversityofIowaPressin2015,andhehascollaboratedwith