2005 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News Archives

February 15, 2005: Superheroes and Philosophy

Newsarama have posted information on the up-coming book "Superheroes and Philosophy" which is described as:

    The comic book superheroes - Superman, Batman, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and many others - have proved to be a powerful and enduring thread in popular culture, a rich source of ideas for moviemakers, television writers, novelists, and now philosophers. "Superheroes and Philosophy" brings together 16 leading philosophers and some of the most creative people in the world of comics, from storywriters to editors and critics, to examine the deeper issues that resonate from the hyperbolic narratives and superhuman actions of this heroic world. The stories of superheroes wrestle with profound and disturbing issues in original ways: the definitions of good and evil, the limits of violence as an efficacious means, the perils of enforcing justice outside the law, the metaphysics of personal identity, and the definition of humanity. The book also features an original cover specially commissioned from one of today's popular comic book artists.

    Tom Morris is the most active public philosopher of our day, and is author of sixteen previous books, including "Philosophy for Dummies", "The Art of Achievement", and the highly acclaimed "If Aristotle Ran General Motors". Matt Morris is a nearly life-long fan of the superheroes, and a specialist in film-making. To create this ground-breaking project, they have brought together philosophers from Yale, M.I.T, Oxford, and many other top schools to join up with Mark Waid, Jeph Loeb, Dennis O'Neil, Chris Ryall, and Scott Tipton for the sole purpose of unearthing some of the deeper ideas behind the great superhero stories. Many of these contributors are speaking at length for the first time in public about what they really see going on behind superhero characters and stories. The results are striking and will surely launch new levels of conversation about the superheroes, and about comics more generally.

They've also posted a preview of Chapter 1, "The Real Truth about Superman: And the Rest of Us, Too" written by Mark Waid.



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