The Virtues of Captain America (eBook)

Mark D. White is Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at the College of Staten Island/CUNY and co-editor of Batman and Philosophy.

Introduction vii

Acknowledgments xiii

Notes on Source Material xiv

About the Author xvi

1 Superhuman Ethics Class 1

Utilitarianism 2

Deontology 6

A Civil War ... of Ethics! 10

Virtue Ethics 13

Virtuous Deontology ... No, Deontological Virtue ...
Maybe "Deontovirtue"? 18

2 Captain America as a Moral Exemplar 25

Can a Fictional Character Be a Moral Exemplar? 26

Aren't Fictional Characters Liable to Be Perfect? 29

Fifty Years, Dozens of Writers ... One Captain America?
34

3 Five Basic Virtues 45

Courage 46

Humility 50

Righteous Indignation 54

Sacrifice and Responsibility 58

Perseverance 63

4 Honor and Integrity 76

The Honor of Captain America 76

External Honor as Respect 78

Internal Honor as Integrity 85

Principle and Compromise 88

Duty and Sacrifice (Again) 96

5 Judgment 109

Making the Hard Decisions 110

Whose Right Answer? 115

Tragic Dilemmas and How to Avoid Them 118

"Black-and-White" or Red, White, and Blue?

When Judgment Evolves 122

Hitting the Threshold 131

6 Principle and Politics 143

Patriotism: The Captain and America 143

Cosmopolitanism 146

The American Dream Versus the American Reality 150

"I'm a Hero, Not a Politician!" 153

Principle over Politics 156

Captain America in (Principled) Action 161

Secret Empire/Nomad 161

The Captain 163

Civil War 166

7 Can Captain America Help Us Achieve Greater Unity and
Civility? 178

The "Divided States of America," Then and Now
178

The Three Core American Ideals 181

Justice 182

Equality 184

Liberty 186

Debating What We Disagree On While Recognizing What We Share
188

Now It's Our Turn 193

Appendix: Why Are There Seven Volumes of Captain America and
Five Volumes of Avengers? 198

References 202

Index 221

"And, as was the case with his previous works, this book is particularly interesting, stimulating, convincing, well-written, and well-documented--using an incredible number of examples, illustrations and quotations from Captain America's adventures." (The Journal of Popular Culture, 17 August 2015)

"If ever there was a need for a philosophical book on a super-hero then Captain America certainly deserves one and I think you'll find this will fill you in on his motivations and his popularity and how it has been embraced in the recent films." (SFCrowsnest, 1 May 2014)

"An illuminating, well-written volume that gives a whole
new insight to Marvel Comics's Star-Spangled Avenger and what he
stands for in the 21st century."

Mark Waid, Marvel Comics writer

"An intriguing look at one of the most iconic and
misunderstood characters in the history of comics. This book proves
that 'Cap' is no one-dimensional flag-waver:
he's a fascinating and complex character who has
continually reflected the changes in the equally complex nation he
represents."

J.M. DeMatteis, Writer--Captain America,
Moonshadow, Brooklyn Dreams

"Captain America matters more now than ever, and this book
proves it. Digging deep, Mark White excavates 'Cap's'
complexity, highlighting lessons and virtues that can help heal
America."

William Irwin, General Editor of The Blackwell Philosophy and
Pop Culture Series