Why doesn't Batman just kill the Joker and end everyone's misery? Can we hold the Joker morally responsible for his actions? Is Batman better than Superman? If everyone followed Batman's example, would Gotham be a better place? What is the Tao of the Bat? Batman is one of the most complex characters ever to appear in comic books, graphic novels, and on the big screen. What philosophical trials does this superhero confront in order to keep Gotham safe? Combing through seventy years of comic books, television shows, and movies, Batman and Philosophy explores how the Dark Knight grapples with ethical conundrums, moral responsibility, his identity crisis, the moral weight he carries to avenge his murdered parents, and much more. How does this caped crusader measure up against the teachings of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Kierkegaard, and Lao Tzu?

Why doesn't Batman just kill the Joker and end everyone'smisery?Can we hold the Joker morally responsible for his actions?Is Batman better than Superman?If everyone followed Batman's examplewould Gotham be a better place?What is the Tao of the Bat?Batman is one of the most complex characters ever to appear incomic books, graphic novels, and on the big screen. Whatphilosophical trials does this superhero confront in order to keepGotham safe? Combing through seventy years of comic bookstelevision shows, and movies, Batman and Philosophy explores howthe Dark Knight grapples with ethical conundrums, moralresponsibility, his identity crisis, the moral weight he carries toavenge his murdered parents, and much more. How does this capedcrusader measure up against the teachings of Plato, AristotleKant, Kierkegaard, and Lao Tzu?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The Oscar Speech George Clooney Never Got to Make ixIntroduction: Riddle Me This . . . 1PART ONE DOES THE DARK KNIGHT ALWAYS DO RIGHT?1 Why Doesn't Batman Kill the Joker? 5Mark D. White2 Is It Right to Make a Robin? 17James DiGiovanna3 Batman's Virtuous Hatred 28Stephen KershnarPART TWO LAW, JUSTICE, AN D THE SOCIAL ORDER: WHERE DOES BATMAN FIT IN?4 No Man's Land: Social Order in Gotham City and New Orleans 41Brett Chandler Patterson5 Governing Gotham 55Tony Spanakos6 The Joker's Wild: Can We Hold the Clown Prince Morally Responsible? 70Christopher RobichaudPART THREE ORIGINS AND ETHICS: BECOMING THE CAPED CRUSADER7 Batman's Promise 85Randall M. Jensen8 Should Bruce Wayne Have Become Batman? 101Mahesh Ananth and Ben Dixon9 What Would Batman Do? Bruce Wayne as Moral Exemplar 114Ryan Indy Rhodes and David Kyle JohnsonPART FOUR WHO IS THE BATMAN? (IS THAT A TRICK QUESTION?)10 Under the Mask: How Any Person Can Become Batman 129Sarah K. Donovan and Nicholas P. Richardson11 Could Batman Have Been the Joker? 142Sam Cowling and Chris Ragg12 Batman's Identity Crisis and Wittgenstein's Family Resemblance 156Jason Southworth13 What Is It Like to Be a Batman? 167Ron NovyPART FIVE BEING THE BAT: INSIGHTS FROM EXISTENTIALISM AND TAOISM14 Alfred, the Dark Knight of Faith: Batman and Kierkegaard 183Christopher M. Drohan15 Dark Nights and the Call of Conscience 198Jason J. Howard16 Batman's Confrontation with Death, Angst, and Freedom 212David M. HartPART SIX FRIEND, FATHER, . . . RIVAL? TH E MANY ROLES OF THE BAT17 Why Batman Is Better Than Superman 227Galen Foresman18 World's Finest . . . Friends? Batman,Superman, and the Nature of Friendship 239Daniel P. Malloy19 Leaving the Shadow of the Bat: Aristotle, Kant, and Dick Grayson on Moral Education 254Carsten Fogh Nielsen20 The Tao of the Bat 267Bat-TzuCONTRIBUTORS : The Clown Princes (and Princess) of Casuistry and Categorical Imperatives 279INDEX : From the Secret Files of Oracle, Master Indexer to the DCU 285