Virtues of Captain America Modern-Day Lessons on Character from a World War II Superhero
Produktdetaljer
Biografisk notat
MARK D. WHITE is a Professor of Philosophy at the College of Staten Island/CUNY who has written widely on superheroes and philosophy, including in the books Batman and Ethics and the A Philosopher Reads… series, as well as contributions to many volumes in the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series.
Learn how Captain America's timeless ethical code is just as relevant in the twenty-first century as it was during the 1940s
Captain America, or simply “Cap,” provides an example of the virtues that define personal excellence, as well as the ideals and principles upon which the United States of America was founded. In The Virtues of Captain America, philosopher and long-time comics fan Mark D. White shows us that this fictional superhero's “old-fashioned” moral code is exactly what we need today to restore kindness and respect in our personal and civic lives.
Presenting Captain America's personal morality within a virtue ethics framework, the book opens with an introduction to basic concepts in moral and political philosophy and addresses issues surrounding the use of fictional characters as role models. The following chapters examine Captain America in detail, exploring the individual virtues that Cap exemplifies, the qualities that describe his moral character, his particular brand of patriotism, his ongoing battle with fascism, his personal vision of the “American Dream,” his moral integrity and sense of honor, and much more.
Now in its second edition, The Virtues of Captain America is updated to include all the new developments in Captain America's saga, including new examples from the last ten years of Captain America's appearances in Marvel Comics. New coverage of the recent “Secret Empire” storyline, in which Captain America was brainwashed by the fascist organization Hydra, features new sections examining the nature of fascism and how Captain America's character and virtues were affected by the change. This edition also offers new material on Sam Wilson—formerly Captain America's partner the Falcon who recently became Captain America himself—and how his interpretation of the role compares to Steve Rogers'.
Showing how we can be better people if we pay attention to the choices made by the Sentinel of Liberty, The Virtues of Captain America:
- Examines the moral and political philosophy behind 80 years of Captain America comics and movies in a light-hearted, often humorous tone
- Demonstrates that the core principles and judgment exhibited by Captain America in the 1940s remain relevant in the twenty-first century
- Describes the basic themes of Captain America's ethics, such as courage, humility, perseverance, honesty, and loyalty
- Illustrates how Captain America stands for the basic ideals of America, not its politics or government
Requiring no background in philosophy or familiarity with the source material, the second edition of The Virtues of Captain America: Modern-Day Lessons on Character from a World War II Superhero remains a must-read for everyone wanting to make ethical decisions in complex real-world situations and tackle the personal and political issues of today with integrity and respect.
Acknowledgments xiii
Notes on Source Material xiv
About the Author xvi
1 Superhuman Ethics Class 1
Utilitarianism 2
Deontology 6
A Civil War … of Ethics! 10
Virtue Ethics 13
Virtuous Deontology … No, Deontological Virtue … Maybe “Deontovirtue”? 18
2 Captain America as a Moral Exemplar 26
Can a Fictional Character Be a Moral Exemplar? 27
Aren’t Fictional Characters Liable to Be Perfect? 30
Sixty Years, Dozens of Writers … One Captain America? 35
3 Five Basic Virtues 46
Courage 47
Humility 51
Righteous Indignation 55
Sacrifice (and Responsibility) 60
Perseverance 66
4 Honor and Integrity 81
The Honor of Captain America 81
External Honor as Respect 83
Internal Honor as Integrity 90
How Deep Does Integrity Go? 94
Principle and Compromise 97
Duty and Sacrifice (Again) 106
Judgment 120
Making the Hard Decisions 121
Whose Right Answer? 125
Tragic Dilemmas and How to Avoid Them 130
When Judgment Evolves 135
Has the World Changed … or Has Captain America? 145
6 Patriotism, Fascism, and the Dream 157
Patriotism: The Captain and America 157
The Three Core American Ideals 161
Justice 161
Equality 163
Liberty 165
Cosmopolitanism 168
Fascism and the “Secret Empire” 171
The American Dream versus the American Reality 180
7 Principle, Politics, and the Captains America 192
“I’m a Hero, Not a Politician!” 193
Principles above Politics 196
Captain America in (Principled) Action 200
Secret Empire/Nomad 201
The Captain 202
Civil War 206
A New Captain America 211
Proactivity, Conflict, and Compromise 218
Conclusion 233
Appendix: Why Are There Ten Volumes of Captain America and Nine Volumes of Avengers? 235
References 239
Index 264
“Enjoyable and consistently stimulating, presenting complex arguments in ways that will be accessible to just about any reader, The Virtues of Captain America is popular philosophy of a high order.”
John Gray, New Statesman
“Interesting, stimulating, convincing, well-written, and well-documented”
Alain Marciano, The Journal of Popular Culture
“An intriguing look at one of the most iconic and misunderstood characters in the history of comics.”
J.M. DeMatteis, Writer—Captain America
In The Virtues of Captain America, philosopher and pop culture expert Mark D. White explores Captain America’s personal morality within a virtue ethics framework, delving into the moral and political philosophy behind 80 years of Captain America comics and movies in a light-hearted, often humorous tone.
Requiring no background in philosophy or familiarity with the source material, The Virtues of Captain America explores the virtues that "Cap" exemplifies, his moral character, his ethical code, his ongoing battle with fascism, his personal vision of patriotism and the “American Dream,” his sense of honor, and much more. Throughout the book, White argues that the core principles and judgment exhibited by Captain America in the 1940s remain highly relevant in the twenty-first century.
This second edition is updated to include recent developments in Captain America’s story, featuring many examples from the last ten years of his appearances in Marvel Comics. Entirely new material offers insights into the recent “Secret Empire” storyline, such as how Captain America’s character and virtues were affected by the fascist organization Hydra, as well as Sam Wilson (formerly the Falcon) taking on the role of Captain America as he teams up with his fellow Avengers.
Showing us how Captain America stands for the basic ideals of America, not its politics or government, The Virtues of Captain America is essential reading for everyone wanting to address the personal and political issues of today with integrity, honor, and respect.
Produktdetaljer
Biografisk notat
MARK D. WHITE is a Professor of Philosophy at the College of Staten Island/CUNY who has written widely on superheroes and philosophy, including in the books Batman and Ethics and the A Philosopher Reads… series, as well as contributions to many volumes in the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series.