![]() To help us mine this wealth of raw ethical material, Mark D. ![]() His single-minded dedication to his mission his “One Rule” his secret identity his wealth his treatment of villains his relationship with Alfred his fascinating rogues gallery his relationships with other heroes––all of these things work together to create one of the most philosophically and morally interesting characters in modern fiction. Indeed, stories about costumed vigilantes are almost uniquely suited to helping us sort out the benefits and drawbacks of the various moral philosophies. Batman, in particular, provides rich material for the ethical imagination. Luckily, we have superheroes to help us out. ![]() Utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, natural law ethics––which moral philosophy is best able to tell us how to live a good life? That’s a hard question, and not all of us can go get a philosophy degree in order to answer it. Superheroes are especially good at helping us to compare and contrast different ethical systems. ![]() Perhaps more clearly than most other fictional characters, superheroes help us explore the responsibilities that come with power, as well as the extent and limits of our duty to others. ![]() As regular readers of this blog will know, I think that one of the best things about superheroes is that they’re really good at helping us think about ethics. ![]()
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