X-Men and Philosophy: Astonishing Insight and Uncanny Argument in the Mutant X-Verse by Rebecca Housel

X-Men and Philosophy: Astonishing Insight and Uncanny Argument in the Mutant X-Verse Reviews

• 
  Patrick

  This is from the "Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series," which features scholars writing essays using specific philosophers and schools of thought to examine what could be considered modern folklore, in this case, characters, events and recurring themes in the X-Mythos. Some of the pieces in this book were spot-on and insightful, others were reaching, and the rest were totally over my head. Some of the ones I liked were:
  
  "Amnesia, Personal Identity, and the Many Lives of Wolverine"
  
  "Is Suicide Always Immoral? Jean Grey, Immanuel Kant, and 'The Dark Phoenix Saga'"
  
  "The X-Verse and Camus' 'Myth of Sisyphus'--or, Why Can't the World Stay Saved?"
  
  "X-Women and X-istence"
  
  "When You Know You're Just a Comic Book Character: Deadpool"
  
  And of course, "The Ethics of Mind-Reading"
• 
  Daisy

  I just finished it for the same week and i really enjoyed it. I loved how at first the storylines didn't seem to have anything to do with each other but slowly details were revealed to show how they are all connected.
• 
  Lari

  Some chapters I agreed with, some I didn't, but they were all thought-provoking.
• 
  Tina

  The essays in this collection were really hit and miss. The good ones were great, but the not-so-good essays were either boring, redundant, or didn't really argue anything. There was one, "X-Women and X-istence" that was just describing various female characters; umm, if I'm reading a book about X-men, I probably know who Storm and Jean Grey are. Another one, "Amnesia, Personal Identity...", was written in this awful childish manner - I think it was attempting to come across as approachable, but it totally failed and made me cringe. Another essay in the collection tried a similar tone and succeeded, so it's not as if I'm biased against unconventional approaches. "X-istential X-men" went too literal with applying a definition of existentialism to the lives of the x-men, going through a checklist of how the definition applied to them, but everyone has the potential to apply existentialism to themselves, so arguing that the X-men are existential isn't really... well, it's just stupid, ok? Existentialism is a way of thinking, not a state of being. Oh, and the article about Layla Miller misquoted Dante! Not impressed!
  
  Anyway, my favorites were "Mutant Phenomenology", "Dirty Hands and Dirty Minds", "The Mutant Cure and Social Change" and "When You Know You're Just a Comic Book Character: Deadpool." The last one was possibly due to my crush on Deadpool, but that's beside the point. These were great because they were entertaining, raised interesting points, and were well-written.
  
  The best articles for intellectual argument/actual philosophy were "High Tech Mythology in X-Men" and "Is Suicide Always Immoral?" The latter two actually read like essays - they take a concept and flush it out using references from X-Men. The other articles took references from X-Men and linked them to philosophy concepts, so didn't really have valid arguments, just interesting observations. That's where this collection really fell flat - Star Wars and Philosophy really had great arguments about morality and choice and technology, where this collection was lacking a little depth.
  
  
  I was also hoping for an analysis of Rogue and Gambit's impossible love, but oh well.
  
  Here is a taste of one of the best essays:
  
  "The X-men series is an ongoing metanarrative, perhaps the most potent in contemporary culture, permitting a way for us to contemplate the possibilities outside of the worn, archaic mythical structures that are offered in the traditional religions and institutions whose origins stem from a nontechnological environment." - "High Tech Mythology in X-Men"
  
• 
  Asra Ghouse

  A fair warning: Do not be fooled by the title. This book is not about the philosophy behind the creation of X-Men. It is about the philosophy that is behind their behavior. What is the reason for how they behave? That is the sole question explained in the book using X-Men as reference examples. But, do not be disappointed X-Men fans. All the X-Men examples are completely fulfilling to our mutant appetites.
  
  X-Men and Philosophy is a take on the various natures of both humans and (if they exist) mutants. William Irwin makes it clear that mutants are no different from humans when it comes to behavior. Their actions, just like ours, are as normal as can be.
  
  And to fulfill your hunger for core mutant related material, you can feast on these chapters:
  
  - Amnesia, Personal Identity and The Many Lives of Wolverine- A sequential account of Wolverine’s life mentioned. Enjoy.
  
  - X-Women and X-Istence- The title speaks for itself.
  
  - When You Know You’re Just a Comic Book Character: Deadpool
  
  - Magneto, Mutation and Mortality
  
  - Professor X Wants You
  
  If you read philosophical books, this one's for you.
• 
  Riadiani Marcelita

  I came upon this book by pure chance while browsing through my university library. This book, naturally, was placed in the philosophy section, and the title drew me in immediately. I wasted no time in checking the book out and starting to read it.
  
  The first few essays in this collection really drew my interest to keep reading more; they started off the book with essays discussing the nature of the X-Men, and why us, mere humans, fantasized on having superpowers like the mutants. It raised many good questions and insights for me to think of, such as: to what extent would we sacrifice our self-identity to be different? Just what level of "different" can we tolerate in our society? And many more.
  
  It was interesting for me to read this book to get a perspective on just how deep the X-Men franchise could be connected to human philosophy. There are definitely a lot of hidden gems of ingenuity portrayed through the X-Men characters, and it is quite fascinating to delve more into their lives and their histories, both in the movie and comic universes, and analyze them through the perspective of philosophy.
• 
  Peter

  The X-Men are a perfect subject for Popular Culture and Philosophy series, as it is far and away the most deeply philosophical super hero comic ever written. As with other entries in the series, it is not necessary to have prior knowledge of the subject to understand the book, but obviously it will be more enjoyable if you do.
  
  Topics tackled here include the nature of personal identity, the ethics of suicide, responsible use/misuse of power, moral choices vs. intellectual choices, Deadpool as an example of post-modernism and definition of race. It is all pretty weighty stuff, but there is plenty of food for thought here. The writers also dry comparisons between the plight of mutants and the plight of Jews and draw close attention to the inherently feminist nature of the series.
  
  Despite the weighty nature of many of the essays, this is for the most part a fun read that is intended to entertain first and foremost. In the process, it gives you a lot to think about, but whether you actually do so is entirely up to you. In that respect, it is much like the comic books themselves.
• 
  Anthony

  This was a very well put together anthology of essays. It had its ups and downs, but it overall had several very cogent and thoughtful pieces inside this nicely edited book.
  
  Some of the more fascinating essays had to do with an exploration of seeing the idea of the, "Mutant Cure," through the prism of a disability in a normal human. Another couple had a particularly interesting philosophical view of this fictional subject by looking at it as an example of Trans-humanism, and how the coming decades may make this more than a speculative and academic discussion.
  
  Good stuff overall. If you love superheroes, mutants, philosophy, or or interesting writing, open this up and read.
• 
  Tim Annan

  Its long been said to me that, "There will be a single book that will be constantly referenced within your dissertation..."
  
  Well, this is THE book for my work.
  
  I'm not a wordy person, but the theories are put across in such a manner that all, regardless of experience and knowledge, can gain from this book.
  While at times it does somewhat over reference the comics, where its not appropriate, this does not stop you being fully engaged within each essay.
  
  I cant express my high regard for this series enough. It is engaging while full of knowledge, and it sinks in and does leave you asking questions, something that all the best lectures I've experienced do make you do!
• 
  Arturo Javier

  Es posible que pienses que los autores del libro solamente utilizan a los X-Men como una excusa para escribir sobre los aburridos temas que a ellos les interesan. Lo sé, yo mismo albergué estas dudas en mi mente, pero puedes estar seguro de que no es así. Varios autores son verdaderos fans de los X-Men, pero tampoco permiten que esto los aparte de los estándares de rigor y claridad que hay que esperar de un buen texto filosófico.
• 
  Jeff

  HAHAHA What a brilliant book. I'm no huge fan of philosophy, but this collection of essays really breaks it down into manageable chunks. Throw in that it revolves around a subject of superheroes that I know very well and it was an very rewarding read. I learned something AND both impressed/scared myself with how much of the X-verse I know.
• 
  Aran Chandran

  The essays written based on the comics were immensely more enjoyable than those written base solely on the movies.
  
  Loved the last essay and its discourse on equating mutant powers as technological powers in current society.
• 
  Allison

  I didn't get this book too much either, I think I need to have a bigger vocabulary and get into philosophy in high school later but I love the x-men and the parts re-enacting parts in the series as well as the descriptions of the characters and what they think of themselves.
• 
  Maer

  Kind'a cool, very thought provoking. My boyfriend read this aloud to me while we drove to my parents and back and it started some excellent conversations. It's definitely a must-read for any comic/graphic novel nerd and would be a pretty interesting read for anyone into psychology.
• 
  Apoorva

  Stunner. Very insightful, and a must-read for every nerd, socio-political theorist, literature critic, philosopher...whatever. Everyone who cares about issues of identity, difference and what it means to be.
• 
  Felyn

  I have mixed feelings about this one. Some of the essays were fantastic, most of them were really good, but the ones I didn't like were way off the mark. Thus, three stars.
• 
  Keena

  This is a very well-put-together pop culture philosophy series, and this edition is no exception.
• 
  Alejo

  4.5 actually, check the DEADPOOL chapter!!!