Avengers and Philosophy: Earth's Mightiest Thinkers, The

by White, Mark

  Roy T. Cook is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, a resident fellow at the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science, and an associate fellow at the Northern Institute of Philosophy–University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He is the author of A Dictionary of Philosophical Logic, editor of The Arché Papers on the Mathematics of Abstraction, and has published numerous academic articles on paradoxes, the philosophy of logic, the philosophy of mathematics, and, more recently, the aesthetics of comics. He is also coeditor (with Aaron Meskin) of The Art of Comics: A Philosophical Approach. Despite the best efforts of artists and writers, his early romance with Jennifer Walters was censored by the Comics Code Authority, and as a result the steamy details will forever remain a secret.

  Sarah K. Donovan is an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Wagner College in New York City. Her teaching and research interests include feminist, social, moral, and Continental philosophy, and she has coauthored articles for books in the present series on Batman, Watchmen, Iron Man, and Green Lantern. While performing research with the Dark Avengers, she became friends with Lindy Reynolds, but now feels guilty about assuring her that helicopter rides are completely safe.

  Andrew Zimmerman Jones is the physics guide at About.com and author of String Theory for Dummies. He lives in central Indiana with his wife and two young sons, occasionally writing essays in august collections such as Heroes and Philosophy and Green Lantern and Philosophy. In his spare time, he searches for Jones Particles, theoretical particles that will shrink your waistline.

  Charles Klayman is a term instructor of philosophy at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois. Since Xavier’s Institute for Higher Learning rejected his application, he is completing his doctoral studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His research interests include classical American philosophy and aesthetics. Despite possessing the ability to befuddle minds, he was denied Avengers membership; apparently, carrying a thick philosophy book is not the same as carrying a mystical hammer or an indestructible shield.

  Daniel P. Malloy quit the Avengers in protest after the Scarlet Witch married the Vision, maintaining (against Klayman’s chapter) that walking toasters don’t have the right to marry. There was also a slight dispute with Jarvis, which has since been settled out of court. Since then, Daniel has spent his time as a lecturer in philosophy at Appalachian State University, teaching introductory courses and writing about the intersections between philosophy and popular culture.

  Louis P. Melançon dresses like Captain America and asks for super-soldier serum at every medical appointment he has. So far it’s only resulted in flu and anthrax vaccinations. While he has no experience (yet) in fighting the Skrulls, Kree, or any time-traveling villains bent on world domination, as a U.S. Army officer Louis has had a wide variety of tactical and strategic combat arms and intelligence experience. He has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal and holds master’s degrees from the Joint Military Intelligence College (now National Intelligence University) and King’s College, London. His greatest achievement, however, is teaching his two-year-old daughter to identify all the Pet Avengers by name.

  Stephen M. Nelson is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota. He teaches courses in a variety of areas, and his research centers on the philosophy of language, philosophy of logic, and metaphysics. Being a direct descendant of Odin through his Icelandic side (which he can prove with detailed genealogical records), Stephen has always felt a distinct—almost brotherly—bond with Thor, and, by extension, the ragtag band of superheroes Thor runs with.

  Robert Powell—or “Troy” when he’s under the influence of a special top-secret serum—is a master’s candidate in the Conflict Analysis and Management Program at Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia, with an undergraduate background in psychology and philosophy. Troy is also a research analyst with the Sentinel Project for Genocide Prevention, a Toronto-based NGO, working on an open source early warning system for genocide—or what Troy likes to think of as the “Cerebro of ethnic conflict.” What fewer people know is that Troy is secretly working on an upgrade to the serum that created the Sentry, believing we all must learn to rein in our darker natures before we can rise and shine as heroes of the world in our own domains.

  Nicholas Richardson is an associate professor in the Department of Physical Sciences at Wagner College in New York City, where he teaches general, advanced inorganic, and medicinal chemistry. He has coauthored articles for books in the present series on Batman, Watchmen, Iron Man, and Green Lantern. He was initially asked by Norman Osborn to join the Dark Avengers, but somehow the paperwork got lost, and Osborn had to step in at the last minute to become the Iron Patriot himself.

  Christopher Robichaud is a lecturer in ethics and public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. The Avengers often consult him on matters of moral and political philosophy. Well, Nick Fury forces them to. Captain America politely listens. Iron Man totally ignores him. Black Widow threatens to kill him if he doesn’t shut up. Hawkeye echoes that sentiment. Thor simply laughs and invites him out for a beer. And Hulk, mercifully, never shows up.

  Jason Southworth is an adjunct professor of philosophy at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. He has written chapters for many Philosophy and Pop Culture volumes, including ones on Inception, X-Men, and Final Fantasy. He is curious about the application process for the Pet Avengers; if Miss Lion is a member, surely it was a mistake not to invite Hepzibah, the fierce defender of the Southworth-Tallman household.

  Tony Spanakos was never invited to join the Avengers despite being recognized by his wife, friends, and students as “positively inhuman.” Having emerged from the Terrigen Mists with no useful power other than the ability to read dry texts comfortably on a crowded subway car, he has pursued scholarship for several years, teaching politics at Montclair State University in New Jersey and New York University. He published a number of articles on political economy and democratization in Latin America before being called to join the Defenders. While holding out for an Avengers gig (if Hank Pym can do it, why not him?), he has written essays for Batman and Philosophy, Watchmen and Philosophy, Iron Man and Philosophy, and the forthcoming Spider-Man and Philosophy.

  Ruth Tallman is an assistant professor of philosophy at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. She has written chapters for other popular philosophy volumes on Sherlock Holmes, the Rolling Stones, and Christmas. She’s not wild about the relationship between Tigra and Hank Pym because it sends the wrong message to impressionable young cats like Hepzibah, the fearless protector of the Southworth-Tallman household.

  Andrew Terjesen earned his PhD in philosophy from Duke University and taught for a number of years at Austin College, Washington and Lee University, and Rhodes College. His philosophical interests include moral psychology, early modern philosophy, and the philosophy of law. He also enjoys writing about the intersections of philosophy and pop culture with essays in this series about the X-Men, Watchmen, Iron Man, Green Lantern, Spider-Man, and Superman. Andrew has recently enrolled in law school, but was disappointed that his criminal law professor did not cover the issue of transtemporal jurisdiction in the landmark case of Kang v. Immortus v. Scarlet Centurion v. Rama Tut. (Andrew suspects that the professor is a Skrull.)

  Mark D. White is the chair of the Department of Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy at the College of Staten Island/CUNY, where he teaches courses that combine economics, philosophy, and law. He is the author of Kantian Ethics and Economics: Autonomy, Dignity, and Character (Stanford, 2011), and has edited (or coedited) books for the present series on Batman, Watchmen, Iron Man, Green Lantern, and Superman. If he had the Scarlet Witch’s ability to alter reality, he’d make sure he got to edit this book too.

  INDEX

  From Jarvis’s Secret Files

  Alcibiades (Plato)

  allegory of the cave

  A
merican monomyth

  Anscombe, G. E. M.

  Ant-Man. See Lang, Scott; O’Grady, Eric; Pym, Henry “Hank”

  appreciative-love

  Aquinas, Saint Thomas

  Arendt, Hannah

  Ares

  arête,

  Aristotle

  Asgardians. See also Siege of Asgard

  Augustine, Saint

  Austin, Terry

  Banner, Bruce. See also Hulk

  Barnes, Bucky. See also Captain America

  Barton, Barney

  Barton, Clint. See also Hawkeye

  Beetle

  Ben, Uncle

  Bentham, Jeremy

  Bishop, Kate (Hawkeye)

  Black Knight (Dane Whitman)

  Black Panther

  Black Widow. See also Romanova, Natasha

  Blonde Phantom

  body theory

  Bor

  Bowie, David

  Braddock, Brian (Captain Britain)

  Braddock, Elizabeth (Psylocke)

  Bradley, Eli (Patriot)

  Bradley, Isaiah. See also Captain America

  Brotherhood of Evil Mutants

  Bullseye

  Butler, Bishop Joseph

  Byrne, John

  Cabal

  Cage, Luke (Power Man)

  Campbell, Joseph

  Captain America

  change and

  character and

  ethics and

  forgiveness and

  identity and

  justice and

  political community and

  rehabilitation and

  self-awareness and

  Taoism and

  time travel and

  Captain Marvel

  Carter, Sharon (Agent 13)

  cave, allegory of the

  Celestials

  Chaos King

  character

  accountability and

  childhood experience and

  moral exemplarism and

  parental responsibility for

  rehabilitation and

  Cho, Amadeus

  Chronology Protection Conjecture

  Chthon

  Chuang Tzu

  closed timelike curves

  Collector

  Contact (Sagan)

  Coogan, Peter

  Cooper, Valerie

  Crimson Dynamo

  Crossfire

  Crystal

  Daken

  Danvers, Carol (Ms. Marvel)

  Dark Avengers

  change and

  justice and

  political community and

  power and

  rehabilitation and

  values and

  Deadpool

  Death

  deontology

  just war theory and

  Derrida, Jacques

  Devak

  divine gift-love

  Doctor Doom

  Doctor Strange

  doctrine of double effect

  Doris, John M.

  Dreaming Celestial

  Einstein, Albert

  Eisenhardt, Magda

  Eisenhardt, Max

  Eros

  Eternity

  ethics. See deontology; utilitarianism; virtue ethics

  eudaimonia,

  Fantastic, Mr. (Reed Richards)

  Fantastic Four

  Foot, Philippa

  Forever Crystal

  forgiveness

  avenging and

  offering

  paradox of

  predicament of irreversibility and

  redemption and

  repentance and

  third-party forgiveness

  unforgivable crime and

  Forms (Plato)

  Freeman, Duane

  Fritz

  Frost, Byron

  Frost, Loretta

  Fury, Nick

  Gaea

  Galactus

  Giant-Man. See also Pym, Henry “Hank”

  gift-love

  Glaucon

  Gödel, Kurt

  Goliath. See also Barton, Clint

  Gorgias

  Grandmaster

  Graviton

  Green Goblin. See also Osborn, Norman

  Gremlin

  Gyges, ring of

  H.A.M.M.E.R.

  Hand, Victoria

  Hate (Sire)

  Hawkeye

  change and

  character and

  forgiveness and

  identity and

  justice and

  power and

  rehabilitation and

  Taoism and

  values and

  See also Barton, Clint

  Hawking, Stephen

  Heimdall

  Hela

  Hera

  Hercules

  hero’s journey

  Hill, Maria

  Hood

  Hulk

  Hyde, Mr.

  identity

  body theory of

  justice and

  mantle theory of

  “psychology” theory of

  self-awareness and

  values and

  Illuminati

  Immortus. See also Kang

  Invisible Woman (Sue Richards)

  Iron Lad. See also Kang

  Iron Man. See also Stark, Tony

  Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn)

  Jameson, J. Jonah

  Jarvis

  Jenkins, Abner

  Jesus

  Jewett, Robert

  Jones, Jessica

  Jones, Rick

  Juggernaut

  justice

  being and

  belief and

  evil and

  identity and

  knowledge and

  metaphysics and

  just war theory

  cause and

  consequentialism and

  justification and

  morality and

  values and

  Kang

  Kant, Immanuel

  Kirby, Jack

  Klaw, Ulysses

  Kooky Quartet. See also Captain America; Hawkeye; Quicksilver; Scarlet Witch

  Kree

  Kronos

  Lang, Cassie (Stature)

  Lang, Scott (Ant-Man)