Timed to publish with the release of the new Batman movie in 2008, Batman and Philosophy takes a deeper look at the famous caped crusader, offering entertaining answers to the fascinating ethical questions everyone has always had about the man behind the mask. Batman and Philosophy parses the answers to questions about Batmans secret identity, his confrontation with death and angst, the weighty conscience of the Bat, the social order in Gotham City, and the eternal question: What Would Batman Do? Batman has grown from a comic book character into a franchise and merchandise goliath, spinning off live action and animated TV shows, Hollywood blockbusters, videogames, action figures, and an endless array of merchandising. Why doesnt Batman just kill the Joker once and for all? If killing the Joker would mean saving thousands of innocent lives, why is this decision so difficult for Batman? Weighing the morality between right and wrong is just the tip of the iceberg in this fascinating and penetrating look at Americas favorite caped crusader. Unfortunately, most of these essays get old fast.Being a crime fighting superhero is a tough job and it comes with no shortage of social and moral responsibilities. Drohan actually gets close to the archetypal sources that keep the serialized exploits of Batman and other comic heroes from getting stale.
A few contributions broaden the discussion beyond the well-worn (origin stories of Batman and foes, etc.) casting butler Alfred as Kierkegaard's ""knight of faith"" to Batman's ""knight of infinite resignation,"" contributor Christopher M. White, Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul 5 likes Like Negative attitudes and emotions such as hatred, disgust, or contempt are the morally correct ways to respond to wrongdoing, and therefore they are virtuous.
In this, the latest in Wiley's Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series (South Park and Philosophy, The Office and., Metallica and.), editors White and Arp assert upfront, and without qualification (apparently, that's the contributors' job), their belief that Batman is ""the most complex character ever to appear in comic books and graphic novels."" Exploring certain works that have broadened the philosophical undercurrents of the Batman mythos (Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns are cited often, but rarely the new movies), a raft of professors, students and PhD candidates paint Bruce Wayne's choices as, most often, either utilitarian or deontological, with basic descriptions of these systems helpfully provided for the novice.
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