Los superhéroes y la filosofía by Tom Morris

Los superhéroes y la filosofía Reviews

• 
  Jesús Santana

  No soy un lector de comics ni tampoco me considero un gran fan de los superhéroes, los que conozco son por cultura general que con el tiempo he aprendido a respetarlos y ver un poco mas allá de lo que normalmente uno logra observar cuando se es joven y lo que encuentra en ellos es simple diversión y entretenimiento. Realmente no fueron muchos a los que seguía por TV o en historietas el único que recuerdo seguir fielmente todos los viernes era a The Punisher en mi adolescencia cuando se conseguían con cierta facilidad las revistas, pero con este boom que desde hace unos cuantos años Hollywood ha logrado con sus adaptaciones cinematográficas (algunas buenas, otras terribles dependiendo del fanático al que uno le pregunte) muchos de ellos se han hecho mas humanos o complejos por no decir que todos siempre lo han sido solo que uno no prestaba la debida atención a ello.
  
  Con la madurez uno aprende a darse cuenta que los superhéroes tienen mucho en común con los personajes que no poseen súper poderes y que muchos de ellos llevan en sus historias, sus personalidades, sus sentimientos todos las preguntas y problemas que se ha encargado de estudiar la filosofía (la verdad, la belleza, la moral, la mitología, el bien y el mal, la autoridad, etc., etc.) desde siempre. Uno puede ver a personajes como Superman, Batman, Daredevil, The X-Men, Watchmen, Los 4 Fantásticos, Spiderman o Hulk como simples figuras para entretenerse y pasar el rato o para ver como el bien triunfa casi siempre sobre el mal (aunque en la vida real muchísimas veces no suceda eso, mas de las que uno quisiera).
  
  La Editorial Blackie Books presenta un interesante libro “Los superhéroes y la filosofía – La verdad, la justicia y el modo socrático” editado por Tom Morris & Matt Morris en el que se encargan de reunir a una respetable cantidad de pensadores, filósofos, profesores de literatura, guionistas de cine y varios mas para deconstruir algunos de los superhéroes que admiran y que nos han acompañado desde nuestra niñez, adolescencia y todavía hasta el día de hoy en nuestra madurez.
  
  ¿Superman por qué hace lo que hace?, ¿qué es el heroísmo y que significa ser un superhéroe?, los mitos, los arquetipos el pensamiento de Heráclito, ¿qué significa el manejo del poder en Los 4 Fantásticos contra el Dr. Doom?, ¿hay sabiduría dentro de los comics?, ¿Pascal, la fe, Dios, el catolicismo y el miedo son vitales dentro de Daredevil?, ¿es moral el comportamiento de Spiderman?, ¿Batman, Aristóteles, John Stuart Mill y Kant tienen cosas en común?, una gran cantidad de preguntas se hacen todos los profesionales y expertos que Tom & Matt Morris han reunido en este maravilloso libro el cual es muy necesario no solo para todo aquel que adore los comics y los superhéroes sino también para los que queremos ver y orientarnos en buscar que hay mucho mas allá en cada uno de estos heroicos personajes.
  
  Dividido en 4 partes “La imagen del superhéroe”, “El mundo existencial del superhéroe”, “Los superhéroes y el deber moral” e “Identidad y metafísica del superhéroe” y cada una de ellas compuesta por varios ensayos bien sostenidos y maravillosamente elaborados hacen esto un libro sumamente interesante. Recomiendo la lectura de “Dios, el Diablo y Matt Murdock” de Tom Morris estupendo análisis sobre la lucha sostenida de Daredevil contra su fe, Dios y la imperiosa necesidad de hacer lo correcto, “El mito, la moral, y las mujeres de la Patrulla X” de Rebecca Housel donde los mitos, la ética, Joseph Campbell y la mitología de héroes y antihéroes son parte de los X-Men, “Batman y sus amigos: Aristóteles y el círculo íntimo del Caballero Oscuro” de Matt Morris explicando según su punto de vista la amistad dentro del comic de Batman, Aristóteles y su visión de la amistad sumado a la soledad con el personaje de Bruce Wayne, “Revisionismo de superhéroes en Watchmen y The Dark Knight Returns” de Aeon J. Skoble demostrando como John Locke y la justicia tienen tanto que decir dentro de estas historias, “¿Por qué deberían ser buenos los superhéroes? Spiderman, la Patrulla X y el “doble peligro” de Kierkegaard” escrito por C. Stephen Evans analizando a Platón y “La República”, el abandono y el sacrificio de los superhéroes y finalmente “Un gran poder conlleva una gran responsabilidad: sobre los deberes morales de los superhéroes y superpoderosos” de Christopher Robichaud quien utilizando la visión de Immanuel Kant y John Stuart Mill concluye si es correcto o no los métodos utilizados por los héroes de los comics y cuanto de moral hay en sus formas de atacar y luchar contra los criminales y la maldad en general.
  
  En definitiva es un libro muy completo, ameno para los que buscan algo mas que un análisis superficial del tema, el lenguaje utilizado no es nada profundo algo de agradecer para los lectores que quizás desconozcan los filósofos y muchas de las teorías que se mencionan. “Los superhéroes y la filosofía” de Tom Morris & Matt Morris es un libro que recomiendo para todo amante de la filosofía, los comics y los superhéroes.
• 
  Diz

  There are a few essays in this collection that are fun to read, but as a collection as a whole, I have to rate it fairly low. My biggest problem with this book is that it is edited very loosely. The title of the book says that this is an examination of comics through the lens of philosophy. However, this collection includes essays on psychology, mythology, and religion in addition to philosophy. Also, the essays on philosophy focus strongly on ancient Greek philosophers, so they start to feel a bit repetitive after a while. A good editor would have ensured that each essay would focus on a different aspect of philosophy, and thus provide a bit more variety. This book would have been greatly improved if it had included anything about 20th century philosophers, since the works of those philosophers were developed at the same time as the rise of comics.
  
  Another weak point is that it seems that some of the authors are not really familiar with the comics that these superheroes come from. These authors focus on examples from the movies rather than from comics. The weak point of this is that this was first published in the early 2000s, so the only movies to reference are the first two X-men movies and the first two Spider-man movies. This gives these essays a dated feel rather than a historical feel if they had used comic references.
  
  The religious essays were particularly irritating to read. In particular there is one that attacks an atheist world view as senseless since it would mean that comic book lovers' favorite comic universes would end when the universe ends. I certainly don't expect that kind of pandering to emotions in a book that is supposed to be about philosophy.
  
  I would recommend steering clear of this book, and if the other books in this series are edited in this manner, perhaps it is best to give the whole series a pass.
• 
  K.M. Weiland

  You had me from the word "superheroes." I was expecting Philosophy Lite - and that's what I got. But I was surprised by how interesting and thought-provoking the essays ended up being. Those about morality, identity, and time travel were especially good. Plus what's not to like about basking a little in the history and lore of the superheroic (although the book has something to say about the term)?
• 
  Alexis

  This is a fantastic series. I'm not even personally into comics but I found the novelty of combining these subjects refreshing and entertaining. I'd definitely recommend this to younger readers for whom classical philosophy is too boring or obtuse.
• 
  Bryce Wilson

  A good book. While I've learned to like comics again superheroes are still kind of a mystery to me. Don't get me wrong I like a spot of Miller and Moore styler revisionism, or a bit of Bendis and Vaughn kickass story telling. But the majority of continuity swamped, staid superhero books just leave me cold. Due to the trillions years of back story I find them kind of incomprehensible at best, and just straight up goofy at worse.
  
  Still this is a fun look at the potent myths and ideas that swarm under these titles (which for the record I'm not denying exist). Sometimes things get a bit self serious for there own good, such as when say you find yourself reading about Batman's relationships via Aristotle's views on Friendship. Which reads like a particularly desperate term paper.
  
  But on the whole a fun and intelligent read.
• 
  Tyson

  Layman's philosphy told through comic book characters we all grew up with and love. Lots of hidden gems on what motivates them and humans in general. Great way to get your foot in the door in regards to philosphy and a nice new take and spin on all of our favorite heroes. Recommended.
• 
  JM

  I actually was expecting it to be heavier on the philosophy part, so it was a bit of a surprise that it was very approachable regardless of whether you know a lot about comic books and/or about philosophy. Interesting read, for sure.
• 
  Emily (moonlight&moths)

  I very much enjoyed reading this book and the perspectives it brought about the superhero world. Certainly a great read for anyone who is interested in learning more about philosophy and how it relates to our awesome superheroes.
• 
  Bah Becerra

  Es increíble como muestra que el objeto comic, como cualquier creación humana tiene una fuerte carga social y consecuentemente filosófica. Es una maravillosa forma de adentrarte a una forma crítica de leer cualquier literatura incluso la que crees de lo más básica
• 
  Twyst

  Enjoying this book so far. A lot about Superman. Cannot express how much I do not care about Superman, but interesting viewpoints. Pretty heavily American so far.
• 
  Chris

  So there you are. You've been bitten by a radioactive, alien wolverine that's been cursed by a gypsy and struck by lightning and you have finally, after years and years of waiting, been blessed with super powers. You can do things no one else can do, and you can do them faster, stronger, better and in more spandex than you ever dreamed possible. Now there's only one thing to do: pick a name, put together a costume and go fight crime!
  
  But... why?
  
  Ever stop and think about it? I mean, I know I would want to go out there and fight the good fight, emulating my four-color heroes, but... why? What is it about getting super-powers that makes so many men and women do what they normally wouldn't do - fight crime? Why risk their lives (or the lives of those they love) in the never-ending battle against the forces of human (and super-human) wickedness?
  
  For that matter, why should anyone, super-powered or not, bother to do good? It's hard, thankless work, after all, and despite the old cliche, crime can sometimes pay very, very well indeed.
  
  The fundamental question about why super-heroes do what they do is a reflection of one of the oldest questions in human philosophy: why be good? And the fact that it's the most popular theme in this book of essays suggests that there really is no single, simple answer to that.
  
  Mark Waid, in "The Real Truth About Superman," looks at the greatest do-gooder of them all, the Big Blue Boy Scout, Superman, and talks about the philosophical journey he took when he re-invented the character's history in Superman: Birthright. To sum up, he believes that the primary drive that puts Kal-El out in the skies is not so much a desire to help the world, but to help himself, for only by being a hero can he embrace his true nature. The use of his powers to his fullest is a demonstration of his Kryptonian legacy. To hide that under the bushel that is Clark Kent would be to completely deny that part of who he is.
  
  And what of Batman, the poor, paranoid loner? When you think of the Bat, do you think of his friends? Probably not, but of all the best-known heroes, he's probably got the biggest cast of confidantes - from his ever-present assistant, Alfred, to the unstable love of his rival, Catwoman, Batman has a tangle of friendships that normal people could not sustain - but that's Batman for you. Always has to be better than the rest of us. In Matt Morris' essay, "Batman and Friends: Aristotle and The Dark Knight's Inner Circle," we get a look at the traditional Aristotelian levels of friendship (those of utility, pleasure, and virtue") and how the people with whom Batman surrounds himself fit into these categories.
  
  The First Family of Marvel get their due as well, when Chris Ryall and Scott Tipton look at "The Fantastic Four as a Family." In this essay, they look at the bonds of family, and what exactly that means. What is it to be "family," and how is that bond so different from others? They see the Fantastic Four as an excellent example of how the bond of family (by blood, marriage, or other means) can transcend nearly any difficulty. But in the case of the FF, what is it that's held them together for so long, despite numerous break-ups and substitutions? Is it Reed's guilt over how he nearly killed the people he loved, disfiguring one of them horribly? Is it Ben's loyalty to his friends that keeps the whole thing together, acting as a reminder of the price of failure? Or is it something else?
  
  The book, much like the science books I've read, aims to accomplish something very important - to show that there are lessons to be learned from comic books, that they aren't just mindless entertainment for empty-headed children. Questions of good versus evil aside, I enjoyed some of the more unexpected philosophical questions - what is identity, and how can we morally hold Bruce Banner responsible for the crimes of The Hulk? How does Barbara Gordon exemplify moral perfectionism, and of the female X-Men, what to they tell us about women and heroics? And is it ethically permissible for a hero to have a secret identity, the maintenance of which requires lying to the people she loves the most?
  
  These aren't questions that occur to the average comic book reader, I'm sure, but the average comic book reader should be able to instantly understand them. More importantly, he (statistically speaking) should be able to understand why they need to be asked. Super-heroes are us, writ larger. Their problems are our problems, only bigger, faster, and looking much better in form-fitting clothes. We must all struggle with the questions of doing good in this world, and how far our responsibility to the world extends. We all try to balance different parts of our lives, our "secret identities" that divide the different people we are from day to day. We ask ourselves about who we are, and what it is about ourselves today that makes us different from who we were yesterday, or ten years ago.
  
  Classical philosophy suggests that humans all tend towards wanting to do the right thing, and I agree (with some reservations). The thing is, doing the right thing is often hard, and doing the wrong thing often is so much easier. In order to be good humans, we must ask ourselves these questions about right and wrong, good and evil, responsibility and plain old selfishness. And if Daredevil or Spider-Man, Wonder Woman or Barbara Gordon are able to serve as models for the best decisions we can make, then I see no reason why we should not follow their examples.
• 
  Sugus

  Este libro me recuerda a la Civil War de Marvel. Podría haber sido mucho mas de lo que termino siendo. La idea de ver a los comics (la mitologia del siglo XX) bajo el lente de la filosofía es una buena premisa. Pero los autores se quedan en un análisis chato, facilitas. La portada es engañosa, tenemos un muy buen diseño de Marx con Mjonlir sin embargo el libro parece asustado de hacer cualquier tipo de análisis o juicio político. Es una lectura muy light del asunto. Se dedican varios capítulos al análisis ético de los superheroes, porque hacen lo que hacen. Pero ninguno de los autores traen nada nuevo a la mesa, por unas 100 paginas el libro se repite a si mismo, volviendo sobre las mismas cuestiones, sobre los mismos filósofos antiguos. "¿Es ético que los superheroes mientan sobre sus identidades secretas?" Es una de las "grandes" cuestiones que el libro busca responder. ¿Que importa digo yo. Eso no es lo interesante de los comics. Los superheroes son personajes arquetípicos, representan ideales de las sociedades a lo largo de la historia. Eso es lo interesante, el porque existe un superman, un batman. Estos son personajes que en si, son básicos. Deben serlo. Porque tienen que apelar a nuestro centro emocional. La gran pregunta que el libro elige esquivar es ¿por que son tan populares? Y que dice esto de nuestra sociedad. ¿Porque como sociedad vitoreamos a héroes como Batman que claramente tratan el sintoma (crimen) y no la enfermedad (desigualdad). Que tipo de intensión hay detrás de los relatos moralistas. Como afectaron los comics la historia del siglo XX.
  Como puntos a favor señalo que fue escrito por varios autores muy reconocidos del mundo de los comics y algunos capítulos realmente interesantes como la temática de la fe en Daredevil y la personalidad de Hulk. El ultimo capitulo, sobre las mascaras y las personalidades que cada uno asume es también bueno. El resto, simplemente se siente como una oportunidad perdida.
• 
  Butterflyweb

  From the start, I loved the entire concept of this book. Comics are looked down on far too often from the pedestal of Literature (and I say this holding a literature degree) and it's refreshing to see them given serious insight and consideration through such a venerable lens as philosophy. Costumed heroes as explained by Kierkegaard, Aristotle, Plato and Kant? Yes, please. And for the most part, this book absolutely delivers. As others have commented, you go in expecting Philosophy Lite, but, as I supposed can be expected when bringing two seemingly exclusive genres together in a user-friendly book, you also receive Comic Book Lite as well from a majority of the essays. Enough of them stick solely to the superhero films released in the early 2000s that it makes me wish this book had be written about ten years later, so at least you could have the benefit of a greater breadth of material. While some essays absolutely stand out, in particular Superhero Revisionism,Why Are Superheroes Good?, A Question of Identity, Batman and Friends, and With Great Power Comes..., the quality of the essays does vacillate, with Myth, Morality... and Identity Crisis being low points for me. Overall, however, the collection is clever, instructive, and a thought-provoking read.
• 
  Wade Bearden

  This was an interesting read. I would have to argue that the main subject of this book is not necessarily superheroes, but instead philosophy with superheroes serving as illustrations.
  
  I especially liked the section dealing with morality. A number of deep philosophical questions were discussed. What is morality? What does it mean to be moral? Why should one be "good?" It all boils down to this: if we are just mere products of a number of random chemical or natural reactions, then there really is no such thing as true morality. The only reason to do what we as humans perceive to be "good" is for pleasure or enjoyment. When those things are taken away then there really is no reason to do "good" at all.
  
  This all however, changes when we bring the belief in a gracious and merciful creator into the mix. Then the decisions that we make here on earth carry for more weight than they would from any naturalistic perspective.
  
  This from a book about superheroes. Who would have thunk it?
• 
  Nicholas

  This was a really, really good book. Some of the articles were just okay, perhaps a little philosophically dense for light reading material, especially the ones that have to do with morality and ethical theory (Kantian theory, Utilitarian, and other nonconsequential ethical theories), but this depth is precisely what makes the book worth reading. It lends depth and an element of mythos to the superhero genre that many people assume is absent.
  
  I particularly enjoyed the article on metaphysics and on secret identities. The secret identities article focused on how we as human beings compose our identities and how oftentimes the masks we put on in different social situations begin to affect our core identity.
  
  A great read for anyone interested in superheroes or looking for moral guidance/inspiration in life.
• 
  Anthony

  This is a hefty piece of reading.
  
  Not for the person looking for light recapping of the Superhero comic genre; this is a intellectual and heavy, (maybe too heavy at times) series of essays about the big - I mean BIG - issues, that superhero comics sometimes tackle in the course of trying to defeat a supervillain out to destroy or conquer the world.
  
  If you are in the mood though, what you have here is a trip back to that college course in Philosophy you took once, only this time we're bringing Superman with us! I think it is an interesting trip.
  
  Since this is a compilation, some things in this book are better than others, so lets just say taken as a whole this is a solid 4 star, though some individual parts may be less than four, and some of an even higher level.
• 
  Martin Hernandez

  Entretenido volumen que, de alguna manera, reivindica la afición que muchos "nerds" tienen por los cómics, al elevarlos al estatus de tema filosófico serio; y es que realmente, y quizá sin proponérselo de manera formal, con el paso del tiempo los guionistas de estas historietas se han propuesto temas cada vez más polémicos, dignos del análisis de las mejores mentes, como lo demuestra este libro.
  Especialmente destacados me parecieron los capítulos 2, "Héroes y Superhéroes", y 14, "Un gran poder conlleva una gran responsabilidad: sobre los deberes morales de los superhéroes y superpoderosos", aunque en general, excepto un par de ensayos más flojos, este libro es una lectura vale mucho la pena, independientemente de si somos aficionados a los cómics o no.
• 
  Ci

  I am intrigued by Joss Whedon's Avenger movie and look into any writing on the philosophic bendings on superhero genres. Beside the visual dazzles, these different persona of superhero (and deities) reflect certain strands of human impulses and drives, and the way they pursue their destinies. Whedon's film tantalized me with its quick wit and irony, embedded in good visual imaginations. That is why I searched for a book to shed on some light on different creative drives (and popularity appeals) behind each prototype of heroes.
  
  If I had hope to look for insight, I think now that I have failed.
  
  
• 
  Kayleigh

  I've always been of the opinion that there's more to comics than meets the eye, and I feel like this book proves me right. Well-written and thought-provoking, it delves into the lives and minds of some of the most famous (and some not-so-famous) comic-book superheroes, exploring their backgrounds, motives, state of mind, and morals from multiple angles, and ultimately asking and answering the question: What makes someone a hero?
  
  A fun read that puts an intellectual spin on a form of media commonly considered "mindless entertainment."
• 
  Marc Mula

  Una obra que podría haber sido mucho más ambiciosa sin necesidad de renunciar a su espíritu divulgativo. A favor tiene que algunos pasajes son realmente interesantes, pero no suelen ocupar más de un tercio por capítulo. El libro peca en general de aplicar una aproximación filosófica demasiado especulativa y redundante. En este sentido, la mayoría de capítulos se recrean en una navegación sin rumbo por los rincones de los razonamientos y el propio discurso, en vez de dedicarse a responder con rigor y precisión los interrogantes planteados. Dicho de otro modo: mucha palabra y poca concreción.
• 
  JP

  I have never more wanted to learn about each and every philosopher chonicled and referenced herein than when I read this book.
  
  I did learn the difference between:
  Friends of Utility, Friends of Pleasure, and Complete Friends. And have found it useful in diagnosing my own circle of friends and life.
  
  This is such a great read, and that it couples up essays with ancient to turn of the century philosophy with Modern Super-Heroes, I was taken from the first page and saddened reading the last page.
• 
  Kevin Makice

  It isn't the best in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series (I can't wait until the Lost version comes out in a few years!), but it is a nice examination of philosophical concepts using the wealth of superhero history from film and comics as exemplars. Much of it went over the head of my 7-year-old, who insisted we read it together at night. It is very thought-provoking and great fodder for conversation.
• 
  Josh

  Enjoying both superheroes and philosophy, you would think I would find this sort of text to be the mental equivalent of chocolate and peanut butter. Alas, alack, and sundry cries of dismay, but it was not to be. As is the case in these sort of texts, at least those that I have perused, contributors often know the philosophy, or know the media, but they rarely know both. While this is by no means the worst volume of its type that I encountered, I also hesitate to unreservedly recommend it.
• 
  Sergio Medinaceli

  Compré el libro con mucho entusiasmo, debido a que me pareció interesante discutir la filosofía detrás de los superhéroes. El libro es un conjunto de "papers" donde la mayoría de los autores explica (con fundamentación teórica) pasajes particulares de revistas y películas (sí, es necesario ver las películas) de héroes occidentales (dejando a un lado a otras regiones en el mundo). Sólo el paper de Jeff Brenzel me pareció excelente, por el tratamiento amplio del tema.
• 
  Dana

  I checked this book out for my class on antiheroes but found some of the essays (particularly the one by Jeph Loeb and Tom Morris) tend to talk down to the students. The book isn't all like that, though, and the section "Superheroes and Moral Duty" was actually really interesting. I ended up teaching excerpts from several chapters rather than entire essays.
• 
  papasteve

  I like this whole series of books. The essays that I like best in this collection had to do with identity, and how we either reveal or hide ourselves from others. Other essays about how to choose the good, and the consequences of those choices were excellent.
• 
  Joseph Eddy

  Good as far as these things go. I'm giving four stars for entertainment value, but if you're even an armchair philosophy buff, many of these discussions will seem a bit stale, and some of them leave a lot to be desired.