The Avengers and Philosophy: Earth's Mightiest Thinkers Author: Visit Amazon's Mark D. White Page | Language: English | ISBN:
1118074572 | Format: EPUB
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
- 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)
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?
The Avengers and Philosophy: Earth's Mightiest Thinkers Preview
Link
Please Wait...