“Supervillains and Philosophy - Popmatters.com” plus 3 more |
- Supervillains and Philosophy - Popmatters.com
- Governor is fresh start for Virginia - LJWORLD
- Philosopher and writer refutes God’s existence in new novel - Jewish News Weekly
- Words of Wisdom: Why do we study the words of Chaucer? - Naples Daily News
| Supervillains and Philosophy - Popmatters.com Posted: 20 Jan 2010 10:57 PM PST "There are both heroes of evil and heroes of good." Taking a nerdy step away from the world of the beautifully weary, romantic debaucher and into one filled with comic books and philosophic tomes, editor Ben Dyer seems to echo Cohen's koan when he kicks off this anthology by announcing that "the supervillains have won": "Tragically, there is very little contrast left between the moral cynicism of modern narratives and the sympathetic lens through which we encounter the modern supervillain," Dyer writes in his introduction entitled, "The Devils Get Their Due". (An aside: if there are any plans for an audiobook, Cohen should lead the nominations.) Supervillains and Philosophy aims to "analyze the monologues and the madness," Dyer continues. It will "consider the supervillain's life, his or her relation to morality and society, and the intellectual boundaries and puzzles that keep us interested" in them. Described in his biography as being in the process of completing his Ph.D. in philosophy, Dyer edited the anthology of 19 essays, which include contributions from celebrated comic book creators Dennis O'Neil and John Ostrander, as well as philosophy professors, lecturers and other academics. There are an extremely wide variety of topics and styles on display in this collection, so much so that the breadth of it all risks being too wide, and lacking a central thesis or flow of some kind to hold it all together. To combat this, he has grouped the essays into five "phases" (and although the reason for that particular term isn't clear, it's still weird in a way that seems to suit the topic):
"Is a little tyranny justified in the pursuit of a good cause?" Dyer writes. "If someone finally became all-powerful, is there anything they couldn't do? Can someone truly desire evil? Why the heck are good henchmen so hard to find?" All these questions and more promise to be answered, or at least explored, in the essays that follow. The first four pieces, which comprise the first "phase", give a good indication of the variety of themes and styles to be found throughout. It starts with Dyer's own contribution in Wanted (the comic that was turned into a hit movie for Angelina Jolie), titled "The Wandering Unwanted," which compares elements of the comic with Plato's story of the cave, and Hannah Arendt's essay on the "Banality of Evil". Then Ron Novey examines the role of the "henchman" by looking at Aristotlean concepts of friendship and Hobbes' "state of nature"", and manages to work in references to Cicero, Shakespeare, Plato, Machiavelli, and even W.C. Fields, all in the relatively short space of ten pages. Galen Foresman follows with "Making the A-List", which takes the form of a five-step "cheater's guide" (part of "our patented Villainy Self-Improvement Classes"), promising to transform thugs from lowly henchmen into supervillains. Central to the process is figuring out what it means to be the "best supervillain," or more accurately, "is there a best of the worst?" And finally, Kirby Arinder and Joseph Milton examine the concept of "mad science" in an essay that purports to be a found manuscript. The process of researching and writing it sent the authors around the bend: "Arinder's sanity has failed altogether, and Milton is nowhere to be found," says the editor's note that prefaces the essay. Although Supervillains stands on its own as a solid anthology, it's also a companion book to 2005's Superheroes and Philosophy. Both are published by Open Court, and are part of its prolific series on Popular Culture and Philosophy. Aiming to "present essays by academic philosophers exploring the meanings, concepts, and puzzles within television shows, movies, music and other icons of popular culture", the series started in 2000 (with Seinfeld and Philosophy). It has seen an impressive increase in the number of books over recent years, with as many as nine volumes published in a year (that was 2006, while 2008 saw seven volumes, for example, and 2009 had eight). Superheroes was the the 13th volume, while Supervillains is the 42nd(!). Superheroes featured a similar roster of academics and comic book fans, along with industry professionals that included Jeph Loeb, Dennis O'Neil (again), Craig Rousseau and Mark Waid. In an impressively long sentence, the introduction to Superheroes makes the case for studying comics for their underlying philosophies:
The great comic book critic Douglas Wolk states it a little more succinctly in his book, Reading Comics:
Both explanations veer close to pretentious territory, but the books back up their authors' assertions well. Of course, for the best (and most succinct) explanation on any topic, who better to ask than the icon, Stan Lee? "The most important characters in any superhero series are, and always have been, the supervillains!" he writes in his forward to The Supervillain Book. But why are supervillains so beloved? In The Power of Comics, Randy Duncan and Matthew J. Smith posit the notion that "superheroes are largely conservative figures, usually content with the status quo." "They typically do not seek to redistribute wealth, change sitting governments, or otherwise alter the existing social order," they continue. "Supervillains, on the other hand, are out to change the world… Supervillains are active; superheroes are reactive." This is an aspect that Dyer seems to agree with, writing in his introduction to Supervillains and Philosophy, "the cri de coeur of the comics literati is that our superheroes have feet of clay." A recent issue of Philosophy Now featured an interview with famed comic book writer, editor and analyzer Danny Fingeroth, who also seemed to argue that supervillains are forces for change, while heroes often fight against it:
Plus, they're bad. Super-bad. In the introduction to their eye-popping, encyclopedic and definitive guide to comic book nogookniks, The Supervillain Book, editors Gina Misiroglu and Michael Eury ponder that aspect of the attraction held by supervillains:
One of the philosophical questions this raises is how the supervillains view themselves. To that end, "Phase Two" of Supervillains and Philosophy tackles the issue of "The Nature of Evil". In his essay, Jared Poon captures one of the key issues: "Does a supervillain see himself as a supervillain? Does he see his own actions as evil?" Poon argues that for the most part, they don't, and that "the monster never sees a monster in the mirror." In the third "Phase" of the book, on the theme of "Taking Over the World," John Ostrander writes an engrossing fictional dialogue that purports to be the transcription of an in-house government interview regarding the Suicide Squad. The fascinating conversation covers the ethical, moral, legal and other philosophical implications of using jailed supervillains as government agents for missions they probably won't survive. In one ever-relevent exchange, the interviewer asks, "Should the Squad be engaging in paramilitary activities on foreign soil at all? If the acts themselves are illegal and immoral, are you no better than those you attack?" It reads as if it could be the script to an interesting (if talky) comic book, which probably isn't surprising, considering that Ostrander is a celebrated comic book writer (including defining runs on Suicide Squad). Overall, at around 200 pages, Supervillains is a little volume that connects readers to a large amount of hefty topics and references. However, the essays avoid pretentiousness and intellectual heaviness through humour, brevity and unusual, occasionally flippant approaches. For example, how can a book with such an odd index (of all things) be anything but irresistible? Here's a sample:
The goofiness brings to mind the wise words of another iconic supervillain, Dark Helmet from Spaceballs, who said, "Now you see, Lone Starr, that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Governor is fresh start for Virginia - LJWORLD Posted: 21 Jan 2010 02:06 PM PST Advertisement Richmond, Va. — After several weeks of heavy snow and sub-freezing temperatures, the sun came out and the snow began to melt in Richmond last Saturday for the inauguration of Republican Bob McDonnell as Virginia's new governor. There were more minorities among the estimated 5,000 who attended than I have seen at any recent GOP function. The tone was different, too. Boxes were placed at entrances, inviting donations to the Federation of Virginia Food Banks. There were several references to the earthquake in Haiti and calls for donations to relief efforts there. McDonnell is not a stereotypical Republican. Should he be labeled a truly compassionate conservative? The Wednesday before his inauguration, McDonnell joined volunteers at the Central Virginia Foodbank and packed food for the needy. The next day, he visited Carpenter's Shelter in Alexandria, a homeless shelter in Northern Virginia, and then Henrico County's Regional Jail East in New Kent County. Such places are not known for harboring pro-Republican sentiment. Virginia Supreme Court Justice Barbara Milano Keenan, who swore in McDonnell, was the first woman to swear in a Virginia governor. President Obama has nominated her for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. McDonnell pledged to work with President Obama to expand charter schools and performance pay for outstanding teachers. Some Democrats are giving the new governor initial high marks for his attitude toward them. The contrast between how McDonnell treats Democrats and congressional Democrats treat Republicans is stark. In his inaugural address, McDonnell hit notes conservative Republicans want to hear. He pledged to build "A Commonwealth of Opportunity" and if this sounds a little like former President George W. Bush's "Ownership Society," that's OK. He compassionately reached out to the "tens of thousands of our family members, friends and neighbors who have lost their jobs" and those who "worry they could be next;" but conservatively added the means to the end of creating more jobs is not more government, but less: "...we will reduce burdensome taxation and regulation that impede job creation." In what ought to be manna for conservatives following eight years of Democratic rule in Virginia and Democratic control of the White House and Congress, McDonnell said, "The circumstances of our time demand that we reconsider and restore the proper role of government. Without reform the continued growth of government threatens our very prosperity." Unlike some conservatives of the recent past, McDonnell does not come off as anti-government. He simply wants government to do what it is supposed to do and leave the rest to its citizens. He explained his reasoning: "We must properly fund the core principles of government, but — equally important — we must utilize innovation, privatization and consolidations to deliver government services more effectively." This sounds like what Margaret Thatcher did in England and Ronald Reagan partially achieved in the United States. McDonnell appeared to rebuke the philosophy of too many liberal Democrats that government should be primary and the individual secondary when he said, "...as we enact these reforms we must remember this: that government cannot guarantee individual outcomes, but equality of opportunity must be guaranteed for all." There were more pledges, including one to make Virginia "the energy capital of the East Coast" by pursuing new energy technologies, as well as responsible offshore drilling for new oil resources. Unlike some politicians, McDonnell has a core philosophy, summed up in this paragraph from his address: "The Founders' capstone on the Constitution is the Bill of Rights. No federal mandate nor program crafted by either political party should undermine the central principle of federalism, enshrined in the birth certificate of America by those who pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor." Gov. McDonnell's attitude, philosophy and ideas can be the foundation of a renewed Republican Party. If he succeeds, he will be a powerful force within the party and a strong contender for higher office where he might do for the country what he seeks to do for Virginia, the home of eight presidents ... so far. — Cal Thomas is a columnist for Tribune Media Services. His e-mail address is tmseditors@tribune.com. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Philosopher and writer refutes God’s existence in new novel - Jewish News Weekly Posted: 21 Jan 2010 11:50 AM PST Not many novels include a 52-page appendix. Then again, not many novelists have a Ph.D. in philosophy or a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant under their belt. Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is two for two on that score. Thus, for her wickedly funny new novel, "36 Arguments for the Existence of God," she actually worked through all 36 ontological arguments. And more importantly, their refutations. Reared in an Orthodox Jewish home, Goldstein today is an atheist. But like her novel's protagonist, religion professor and bestselling author Cass Seltzer, she is "an atheist with a soul." Goldstein will appear in the Bay Area as part of her national book tour, with a talk Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and an appearance Thursday, Jan. 28, at Kepler's Bookstore in Menlo Park. "I'm a philosopher by profession," says Goldstein, who has written many works of fiction and philosophy, "but I believe fiction can do things that nonfiction can't. It can get you into the experience of people different from oneself. It's a way to gain knowledge." Some of her nonfiction works include biographies of 17th-century Dutch-Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza and German mathematician Kurt Gödel. It's heady stuff, but for all the philosophy leavened into her new novel, Goldstein was careful to make it comprehensible to mere mortals. Her story opens as Seltzer, basking in newfound celebrity for his bestseller about atheism, contemplates an offer to move from his small Massachusetts college to the big show: Harvard. Complicating his life are a dazzlingly brilliant mathematician girlfriend, a brash anthropologist ex-girlfriend and his mentor, the Extreme Distinguished Professor Jonah Elijah Klapper, a comically conceited gasbag who recites Matthew Arnold writtings from memory, but rarely says anything original. Ridiculing university life, Goldstein — a former professor and habitué of academia — bites the hand that tenured her. She also goes after religion, though with a bit less tooth and claw. That may be due to fond memories of her Orthodox upbringing and her father, who died when Goldstein was a girl. As much as she warmed to her community, she decided by age 12 she could not believe in God. It was in her all-girls yeshiva that she first encountered Spinoza, who was excommunicated from Judaism for his secularism. "In our Jewish history class, we were studying modernity, which we were against," she recalls. "And there was the bad boy, Spinoza. He was presented as the cautionary tale." Instead, Spinoza inspired her to pursue philosophy, as well as adopt a secular humanist perspective. "If you're Jewish, there are things that hold you to this way of life that are not necessarily metaphysical commitments," she says. "Within my Orthodox Jewish family, especially the younger generation, I have nephews that wear black hats that have the same belief as I do. [Judaism] doesn't concentrate so much on metaphysics, as practice and family and history." Her atheism incorporates the same logic expounded by the so-called new atheists — Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins among them — who refute the existence of God primarily on scientific grounds. "There's no empirical counterevidence," she says. "The soul of science is that you make your predictions, and if they don't come out, you give up." Goldstein's parallel careers as a philosopher and novelist drew the attention of the MacArthur Foundation, landing her a $500,000 grant in 1996. She says when she got the call, she thought it was one of her students pulling a prank. "It was very vindicating," she notes of her fellowship, "because I go between these two fields. Philosophers didn't take me seriously. It's hard enough to be a woman doing math logic, and then you publish a novel." Of course, her new novel just had to have the appendix, which summarizes all 36 arguments for the existence of God and then dismantles them. She says that's just what philosophers do. "It's an interesting exercise to try and pin down these vaguer emotional reasons that people have to believe in God," Goldstein notes. "Religion is so much more than belief in God. It's a very William James idea, that the arguments come after the fact."
/u/41109 Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Words of Wisdom: Why do we study the words of Chaucer? - Naples Daily News Posted: 21 Jan 2010 12:04 PM PST The Diocese of Canterbury was the mother church and see of all of England from the year 597, when Augustine was the archbishop, until the death of the last Catholic archbishop, about 1558. There would be 68 archbishops in all, lasting for about 1,000 years. The Diocese lay in the county of Kent and had 257 parishes. Thomas a' Becket was Canterbury's 39th archbishop, beginning in 1162 A.D. Archbishop John Stratford was its head and 52nd archbishop when Geoffrey Chaucer, author of "The Canterbury Tales," was born in London, around 1340 A.D. This period was heading toward the end of an age of feudal chivalry. The church in Rome still held authority over the minds of the people of England, but there were hints of reformation in the air. To acknowledge the leadership of a pope who seemed the puppet of their arch enemy across the sea seemed absurd to many of the English people. Furthermore, the hunger for spiritual food in English hearts lay beating beneath the watchful eyes of those who saw the abusive conduct of ecclesiastic authorities. The clergy were living in the lap of luxury and their lives were fraught with both material and spiritual indulgences. Even the monastic orders had lost much of their religious fervor and had become no more than worldly monks, equal in their material pursuits to the clergy. Dante Alighieri, over in Italy, had just put the following words into the mouth of St. Francis Of Assisi in his "Divine Comedy:" "So soft is flesh of mortals, that on Earth, a good beginning does no longer last than while an oak may bring its fruit to birth." The Church in England had in effect, become a church of vast temporal wealth, power and privilege. Education, up until this time, was more the principal domain of the privileged clergy, but this was about to change, as well. In his government service, Geoffrey Chaucer made several diplomatic journeys to Italy that exposed him to Roman classical literature. Throughout his life and writing he also showed tremendous devotion to Mary, the mother of God. Prior to the writing "The Canterbury Tales," Chaucer would write several poems which, according to him, were taken directly from inspiration he received from reading Boethius' "Consolations of Philosophy." Chaucer began work on "The Canterbury Tales" in 1387 A.D. In actuality, he never finished the poem, but completed almost 17,000 lines. The poem tells the story of a group of pilgrims who were journeying from London to the shrine of Thomas a' Becket, the legendary archbishop, at Canterbury. They are all pass time on the trip by telling each other tales that depict for the reader a sweeping cross-section of English society, its customs and attitudes. Chaucer was the first poet to popularize the form of English in literature. In the "Tales," we see mention once more of Perceval, the holy, wise and gallant knight of "The High History Of The Graal," in "The Tale of Sir Thopas;" where it is said, "Himself drank water of the well, as did the knight Sir Percivel." The wisest person in this long poem appears to be Dame Prudence, the wife of Mileboeus, in Chaucer's "Tale Of Mileboeus." She is "humble wise," and recognizes that before voicing any words of wisdom to her husband or anyone else, "First, God must be besought for guidance." Chaucer has her plead with Mileobeus to forgive his enemies, as did Jesus before him. I believe that her wisdom is unsurpassed, it seems, by any person in the entire poem. Adolphus William Ward, who, much later, would write a biography of Chaucer's life, said of Dame Prudence, "What is better than gold? Jasper. And what is better than Jasper? Wisdom. And what is better than wisdom? Woman. And what is better than woman? No thing." I find two other points of interest in this particular tale as we search for wisdom in "The Canterbury Tales." First, that Chaucer, in the poem, gives Mileboeus and Dame Prudence a daughter named Sophia (wisdom) . Secondly, the similarity between the person of Dame Prudence and Lady Philosophy in Boethius' "Consolations of Philosophy," and also the similarity between Dame Prudence and Dame Wisdom as personified in the Old Testament. We also see what is the greatest wisdom one can have, according to Chaucer, in the Canterbury Tale, "Wife Of Bath's Tale," where it is said, "Of alle men his wisdom is highest, that recketh not who hath the world in hand. By this proverb thou shalt well understand" Michael Hickey is a local writer and poet who lives in Pelican Bay and Swampscott, Mass. His book, "Get Wisdom," is published by Xlibris Div. Random House Publishing and is available at 1-888-795-4274, ext. 822, at www.Xlibris.com or your local bookstore. E-mail Mike Hickey at Mikehic@nii.net. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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