I’ve often invited students in my Philosophy classes to use our course material to analyze something from film and/or pop culture.  As a fiction | film | pop culture enthusiast, I genuinely enjoy how the art of storytelling and crafting characters brings to light philosophical themes. One such example where this works well is the story of Batman.  I reached out to Philosophy Professor Mark D White to discuss his book on Batman for Good Is In The Details.

It was a delight to dig into the way ethical theories like Deontology and Utilitarianism anchor the way dilemmas are navigated in Batman and Philosophy. The Dark Knight of the Soul 

In Mark’s work and on Good Is In The Details, Mark explores the moral dilemmas Batman faces such as:

• Can Batman be happy?
• Should he kill the Joker?
• Does his extraordinary wealth hinder his moral position?
• Is love possible?
• Is tragedy necessary for Batman to be Batman?

This episode brought about a nice intellectual inquiry into the complications of this superhero.  If you’re an educator looking for a new medium to add to your syllabus, or if you’re a fan of comics, or if you’re simply philosophy-curious, click on the images below for the book and listen to the episode. 

 

 

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