Date of Graduation

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Philosophy

Advisor/Mentor

Lee, Richard

Committee Member/Reader

Senor, Thomas D.

Committee Member/Second Reader

Scheide, Frank M.

Committee Member/Third Reader

Porta, Adriana

Committee Member/Fourth Reader

Lee, Richard

Abstract

Comics and superheroes have long been a part of American culture. The narratives within these comics often focus on the battle between good and evil, which makes the works inherently philosophical. The aim of this paper was to discuss comic book narrative as philosophical thought experiments and characters within them as moral exemplars. For this paper, I used characters—superheroes, villains, and those in between—from Marvel and DC Comics. I begin by briefly discussing and defining fiction and fictional characters. Next, I apply the three branches of normative ethics to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. The following sections address characters as singular entities, changing values over time, and morally grey characters as exemplars. The thesis concludes with an examination of why superheroes ought to do good according to Marvel and DC Comics.

Keywords

Narratives as thought experiments; comic-based characters as moral exemplars; superheroes and philosophy; superhero ethics; superheroes and moral codes; fictional characters

Download

Share

COinS