Batman and Philosophy The Dark Knight of the Soul [Paperback]

Why doesn't Batman just kill the Joker and end everyone's misery?

Can we hold the Joker morally responsible for his actions?

Is Batman better than Superman?

If everyone followed Batman's example,

would Gotham be a better place?

What is the Tao of the Bat?

Batman is one of the most complex characters ever to appear in comic books, graphic novels, and on the big screen. What philosophical trials does this superhero confront in order to keep Gotham safe? Combing through seventy years of comic books, television shows, and movies, Batman and Philosophy explores how the Dark Knight grapples with ethical conundrums, moral responsibility, his identity crisis, the moral weight he carries to avenge his murdered parents, and much more. How does this caped crusader measure up against the teachings of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Kierkegaard, and Lao Tzu?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The Oscar Speech George Clooney Never Got to Make ix

Introduction: Riddle Me This . . .  1

PART ONE DOES THE DARK KNIGHT ALWAYS DO RIGHT?

1 Why Doesn’t Batman Kill the Joker? 5
Mark D. White

2 Is It Right to Make a Robin? 17
James DiGiovanna

3 Batman’s Virtuous Hatred 28
Stephen Kershnar

PART TWO LAW, JUSTICE, AN D THE SOCIAL ORDER: WHERE DOES BATMAN FIT IN?

4 No Man’s Land: Social Order in Gotham City and New Orleans 41
Brett Chandler Patterson

5 Governing Gotham 55
Tony Spanakos

6 The Joker’s Wild: Can We Hold the Clown Prince Morally Respol3#