Wednesday, 9 February 2011

Contextual and Theoretical Studies Level 5 Week 16:Essay Notes

Batman and Philosophy The Dark Knight of the Soul William Irwin, Mark D.White and Robert ARP
Introduction Riddle Me this
Batman is the most complex character ever to appear in comic books and graphic novels-Batman appeals to so many people because he is 'just' a human being, even though he is much different than the rest of us-Devotion of his life to avenge his parents death and other victims, by risking life and limb
Batman refuses to kill...if he kills, it would make him as bad as the criminals he is sworn to fight-Superheroes are generally not Utilitarians and avoid killing one person to save many as this means killing and going against what they stand fo

Superheroes duty to help others-Specific character type needed to be a superhero is not suitedto everyone, and society demands different roles from each of us-moral character will escape-best intentions are incapable of a good outcome all the time due to the characters constraints

Batman hates criminals-removing self-doubt about being able to beat the criminals makes him fight them and after losing Batman tries again without listening to his conscience and succeeds-getting satisfaction out of the destruction from stopping the criminals
Tortures and nightmares of his parents death whilst he was helpless-hatred towards evildoers jeopardizes any human relationships-his life becoming lonely and unfulfilling
Batmans actions and motivations focus on the psychological impact of the death of his parents-which made him take up the role of a crime-fighting bat-but perhaps Gothams government is Batmans hatred as the state were incapable of maintaining their laws and order-repsonse to this was to take matters into his own hands-Batmans probematic relationship with the government

Our free will is constituted by our ability to form desires about our desires, to reflect upon and evaluate them, and to change our motivations accordingly

1989 Tim Burton's  Batman sees his parents killed as he is a child and when he becomes Batman he watches as his parents' killer falls to his death-this isn't a simple revenge story int the Batman Universe-revenge or retribution plays role in Batmans motivation
"nothing haunts me more than finding out who killed my parents "..."their unsolved murder changed Gotham City"-Superman/Batman: Public Enemies(2005)-Batman thinks of his role in Gotham as somehow analogous to his fathers role as pysichian
Endless life would prove to be boring, curse rather than a blessing-Batman has no superpower but due to being left with wealth he was able afford training, equipment and all the stuff money could buy to become a viglante-no resource should be spared to fight injustice 
He is a modern day Dracula, a wraith, a dark knight and avenging spirit
Batman has human powers not affected by radiation, spider bite or born from an advanced alien race or an unexplained natural phenomenon-Batmans powers are of dedication, sacrifice and human pursuit or devotion to the cause

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