X-Men and Philosophy: Astonishing Insight and Uncanny Argument in the Mutant X-Verse

by William Irwin

Book Overview

X-Men is one of the most popular comic book franchises ever, with successful spin-offs that include several feature films, cartoon series, bestselling video games, and merchandise. This is the first look at the deeper issues of the X-Men universe and the choices facing its powerful "mutants," such as identity, human ethics versus mutant morality, and self-sacrifice.

J. Jeremy Wisnewski (Oneonta, NY) is Assistant Professor of Philosophy...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470413409
• ISBN13: 9780470413401
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Ethical Descisions in an Inhuman World

For those of us who cannot really understand Descartes or Kant or Leibnitz or Spinoza or Hobbes or Kierkegaard, much less so connect their teachings to life in this postmodern world, this book is a bridge from the past to the future. What does one do when one knows one is a comic book character (Deadpool)? What does one do when you wake up without memory, or your genes have expressed a new part of themselves overnight (Wolverine, Beast)? This book asks these questions and more. As Socrates put it, the unexamined life is hardly worth living. Read this book and one will hardly be able to keep oneself from examining!

X-Istentialism!

An X-cellent guide to the depths of the "X-Men" comics and films, while touching upon poignant philosophical milestones within both universes.

X-ceeding useful eXamination of the X-men

I teach courses in a university in science fiction, fantasy, and soon will be offering a class in the comic book in American culture. Part of that teaching task is finding books to supplement the primary texts students read; and yes, I plan on having them read a number of different types of comic books/graphic novels; as well as works such as Understanding Comics and Our Gods Wear Spandex:The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes, but students also need sources that are not solely focused on textual/literary analysis. And this one fits that category; a source which discusses the ideas underlying the text and which adds to the texts need to engage readers on multiple levels and not just on the tropes which the characters fit. Will I use this as a supplementary work and ask students to use it to help them develop their own interpretive papers--yes! I noticed that many of these essays examined major story arcs in the X-Men universe: Astonishing X-Men, X-Factor,X-Force, Uncanny X-Men as well as the Messiah Complex. These are 'cannon' in the marvel universe and the essays will help students get past 'the gee whiz' factor of examining their favorite characters and see them for more than just fun reading. This is an essential book for anyone who wants to go deeper than just the usual 'oh, look, he has retractable claws' or hey, she can levitate' explanation of why read a superhero comic book.

Excellent!

First of all, I would like to respond to one of the reviews below: Where that reviewer asks if the book's authors read the comic books, I would ask whether he/she read the book itself. Characters that appear exclusively in the comics (like Layla Miller) have entire chapters devoted to them, and one chapter's author even denounces the movies in favor of the comics. Not sure how he/she missed that... Anyway. "X-Men and Philosophy" is a must-have for Marvel fans. It explores every nook and cranny of the X-men universe and makes dozens of superb philosophical connections -- some of them expected, like the question of "what is normal and should we want it", and some more surprising, like the discussion of whether mind-reading is ethical. Just take a look at the table of contents and you'll see the wide spectrum that is explored in the book, all of it interesting. The great thing about the book is how accessible it is. It's not just for people who are interested in philosophy, but for any smart person who has an interest in X-men. I felt that I was reading a book that explored X-Men from an intellectual point of view, including science and religion as well as straight-up philosophy. It's also incredibly engaging and personal. All or most of the chapters present concepts that apply not only to mutants but to us ordinary folk as well, and there are a lot of personalized examples that help a layperson relate to and understand what's being discussed. I felt like I was reading about myself as well as Kant and Magneto. Ultimately it's a book that reaches a great balance between scholarly philosophical discussion and colloquial easy-reading, and is interesting no matter what the reader's experience with philosophy. The writing is consistently witty and the subject matter is everything an X-Men fan could want. 5 stars!

An Incisive Look at the X-Men

I'm not sure why someone would say that the authors and editors of this book had not read any X-Men-related comics. Wisnewski, Housel, and the rest have certainly done their homework. How else do you account for the name-dropping of X-Men that haven't yet appeared in any films? Layla Miller has her own chapter! Everything you've ever wondered within the context of America's favorite mutants is there, from "Is mind reading an invasion of privacy?" to "How many identities can one person have?" Francis Bacon appears alongside Emma Frost, Immanuel Kant's teachings are applied to Phoenix, and complex ideas are pared down and placed within an easy-to-comprehend context. Huzzah!