{"product_id":"batman-and-philosophy-9780470270301","title":"Batman and Philosophy","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBeing a crime fighting superhero is a tough job and it comes with no shortage of social and moral responsibilities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this, the latest in Wiley’s Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series (\u003ci\u003eSouth Park and Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Office and…\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMetallica and…\u003c\/i\u003e), 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 \u003ci\u003eBatman: Year One\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Dark Knight Returns\u003c\/i\u003e 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. 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. Drohan actually gets close to the archetypal sources that keep the serialized exploits of Batman and other comic heroes from getting stale. Unfortunately, most of these essays get old fast. \u003ci\u003e(July)\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, July 28, 2008)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The Oscar Speech George Clooney Never Got to Make ix\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction: Riddle Me This . . .  1\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART ONE DOES THE DARK KNIGHT ALWAYS DO RIGHT?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 Why Doesn’t Batman Kill the Joker? 5\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eMark D. White\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 Is It Right to Make a Robin? 17\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eJames DiGiovanna\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 Batman’s Virtuous Hatred 28\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eStephen Kershnar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART TWO LAW, JUSTICE, AN D THE SOCIAL ORDER: WHERE DOES BATMAN FIT IN?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 \u003ci\u003eNo Man’s Land\u003c\/i\u003e: Social Order in Gotham City and New Orleans 41\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBrett Chandler Patterson\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 Governing Gotham 55\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eTony Spanakos\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 The Joker’s Wild: Can We Hold the Clown Prince Morally Responsible? 70\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristopher  Robichaud\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART THREE ORIGINS AND ETHICS: BECOMING THE CAPED CRUSADER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 Batman’s Promise 85\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eRandall M. Jensen\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 Should Bruce Wayne Have Become Batman? 101\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eMahesh Ananth and Ben Dixon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 What Would Batman Do? Bruce Wayne as Moral Exemplar 114\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eRyan Indy Rhodes and David Kyle Johnson\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART FOUR WHO IS THE BATMAN? (IS THAT A TRICK QUESTION?)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 Under the Mask: How Any Person Can Become Batman 129\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSarah K. Donovan and Nicholas P. Richardson\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 Could Batman Have Been the Joker? 142\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSam Cowling and Chris Ragg\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 Batman’s Identity Crisis and Wittgenstein’s Family Resemblance 156\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eJason Southworth\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e13 What Is It Like to Be a Batman? 167\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eRon Novy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART FIVE  BEING THE BAT: INSIGHTS FROM EXISTENTIALISM AND TAOISM\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 Alfred, the Dark Knight of Faith: Batman and Kierkegaard 183\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristopher M. Drohan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e15 Dark Nights and the Call of Conscience 198\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eJason J. Howard\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e16 Batman’s Confrontation with Death, Angst, and Freedom 212\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eDavid M. Hart\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePART SIX FRIEND, FATHER, . . . RIVAL? TH E MANY ROLES OF THE BAT\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e17 Why Batman Is Better Than Superman 227\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eGalen Foresman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e18 World’s Finest . . . Friends? Batman,Superman, and the Nature of Friendship 239\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaniel P. Malloy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e19 Leaving the Shadow of the Bat: Aristotle, Kant, and Dick Grayson on Moral Education 254\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCarsten Fogh Nielsen\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e20 The Tao of the Bat 267\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBat-Tzu\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCONTRIBUTORS : The Clown Princes (and Princess) of Casuistry and Categorical Imperatives 279\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eINDEX : From the Secret Files of Oracle, Master Indexer to the DCU 285\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Wiley \u0026 Sons Inc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49402310754647,"sku":"9780470270301","price":16.1,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780470270301.jpg?v=1730480027","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/batman-and-philosophy-9780470270301","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}