Superman and philosophy : what would the Man of Steel do? / edited by Mark D. White.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

White, Mark D., 1971-

Series:

Blackwell philosophy and popculture series.

Blackwell Philosophy and Popculture Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Superman--(Fictitious character).

Philosophy in literature.

Comic books, strips, etc--Moral and ethical aspects.

Comic books, strips, etc.

Superman (Fictitious character).

Superman.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (258 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chichester, West Sussex, U.K. : Wiley-Blackwell, c2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Go beyond the cape and into the mind of the Man of Steel, in time for release of Zack Snyder's Man of Steel movie and Superman's 75th anniversary He has thrilled millions for 75 years, with a legacy that transcends national, cultural, and generational borders, but is there more to the Man of Steel than just your average mythic superhero in a cape? The 20 chapters in this book present a fascinating exploration of some of the deeper philosophical questions raised by Superman, the Last Son of Krypton and the newest hero in the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture arsenal.

Contents:

Superman and Philosophy: What Would the Man of Steel Do?; Copyright; Contents; Introduction: It's a Bird, It's a Plane ... It's Philosophy!; Part One The Big Blue Boy Scout: Ethics, Judgment, and Reason; 1 Moral Judgment: The Power That Makes Superman Human; The Trinity of Moral Philosophy; But Like Superpowers, Ethics Only Gets You So Far; Tragic Dilemma in Your Pocket (Universe); I'm Walkin', Yes Indeed; Superman Did What?; What Makes Superman Human; Notes; 2 Action Comics!: Superman and Practical Reason; It's Practically Reasonable; More Powerful Than a Locomotive; We Could Be Heroes ...

Superman vs. the CalculatorFaster Than a Speeding Bullet; The Virtues of Being Super; So Whom Does He Save?; Notes; 3 Can the Man of Tomorrow Be the Journalist of Today?; The Face and the Voice; A Reporter's Story; The Reporter of Steel; Superman Confidential: Seek Truth and Report It; The Big Forget: Act Independently; Wicked Business! Minimize Harm; Fatal Flaw?; Notes; 4 Could Superman Have Joined the Third Reich?: The Importance and Shortcomings of Moral Upbringing; ... Or Not; The Moral Education of a Superman; Superman: Son of the Third Reich; In the End, Hitler Still Loses; Notes

Part Two Truth, Justice, and the American Way: What Do They Mean?5 Clark Kent Is Superman!: The Ethics of Secrecy; What Is the Secret?; Superman for President!; The Secret Revealed!; Opening the Shirt; Letting in Lois; In the Vault; Notes; 6 Superman and Justice; It's All About Personal Liberty; Truth, Libertarian Justice, and the American Way; Great Rawls!; Behind the (Lead-Lined) Veil of Ignorance; Occupy Metropolis; Superman's Greatest Foe?; Notes; 7 Is Superman an American Icon?; Is Superman Giving Up on the American Way?; My Country, Right or Wrong-But Mostly Right

Can Superman Be a Citizen of the World?Cosmopolitanism Then and Now; The Appearance of Impropriety; Act Locally, Think Globally; Notes; Part Three The Will to Superpower: Nietzsche, the Übermensch, and Existentialism; 8 Rediscovering Nietzsche's Übermensch in Superman as a Heroic Ideal; Truth, Justice, and the Nietzschean Way; Putting the Über into the Übermensch; The Nietzschean Superman; Superman vs. Clark Kent; S Is for Savior; Kneel Before Zod!; Perhaps ... Lex Luthor?; Nietzschean Übermensch, American Christ, or Both?; Notes; 9 Superman or Last Man: The Ethics of Superpower

Survival of the WeakestIntroducing Superman-Whether We Need Him or Not; Waiting for Superman; Resignation Superman; Singer vs. Nietzsche; It Ain't Easy Being Blue; Is He Worth It?; Notes; 10 Superman: From Anti-Christ to Christ-Type; Übermensch as Anti-Christ; Lex Luthor: Super-Man?; Jesus Without the Christ; Moral Illumination; Trinitarian Movie Mythos; Is Superman Christ or a Christ-Type?; Seduction of the Innocent?; Notes; 11 Superman Must Be Destroyed!: Lex Luthor as Existentialist Anti-Hero; A Man Who Writes His Own Script; An Iconoclast; One Man Is an Island; The Anti-Hero of Faith

Existentialists Gone Wild!

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from title page (ebrary, viewed April 13, 2013).

ISBN:

9781118541821

1118541820

9781118589045

1118589041

9781299313767

1299313760

9781118541692

1118541693

OCLC:

830160753