Should Batman Kill the Joker? Perspectives from Five Famous Philosophers

Comics Alliance has posted a great article discussing a deeply philosophical question: Should Batman Kill the Joker? It's based on a post by Tauriq Moosa, an ethicist writing for the site Big Think. In it, he argued against Batman's famed "no killing" policy. He says that Batman has a moral obligation to rid the world of the Joker. I totally disagree. Batman is a man. He has not obligation to choose who deserves to die. The article in Comics Alliance does not bring this up but I've got to wonder why is Batman obligated to do anything? But setting that aside, the Comics Alliance article does take the question Moosa asks and answers and imagines how 5 of the greatest Western philosophers might answer the same question.

1. Immanuel Kant
2. John Stuart Mill
3. Thomas Hobbes
4. John Rawls
5. Friedrich Nietzsche

This is a fun thought experiment. I think one of the defining things about Batman, one of the things that makes him a hero, is that he will not take a human life.  He refuses to cross the line that would make him not better than the evil that he fights. The article is well worth your time if you like discussing and thinking of morality.

Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/03/02/batman-kill-joker-philosophy/#ixzz1nzjX2T5

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Smallville and Friedrich Nietzsche — Superman and the Ubermensch | True Freethinker

Image by xploitme via Flickr
I enjoyed this post by Mariano so much I had to link to it. I do understand exactly what he means because I saw the latest episode of Smallville and Nietzsche's philosophy was brought up and endorsed.
Mariano wrote:

In the most recent episode Carter Hall aka Hawkman refers to Friedrich Nietzsche, “To him, the true hero was the person who embraced the life that he or she was given and made it better. He called that person ‘ubermensch” to which Lois Lane states, “A Superman.” Yet, along with the concept it is stated that, in essence, we can all be an ubermensch.

I like science fiction and fantasy because you can explore themes and ideas that can't be reasonably done in other genres. This is a good example. I think we should be careful in embracing Nietzche's ideas because while he did have some good ones that can be spun positively as it has on Smallville, his philosophy was also an inspiration for the Nazis. Also I don't think Nietzsche thought all people could be ubermensch - only the elite. And when you look at how Nietzsche's ubermensch is described by Nietzche himself do you really wanna be that kind of person? Mariano wrote:

I do not know if they realize that whist to the unlearned in this area this sounds very nice—I can be Superman, after all—to Friedrich Nietzsche the ubermensch were merciless and uncompassionate iron fisted survival of the fittest domineers. Keep in mind that uber is translatable as "super," "above," "over," etc.

I most definitely don't want to be that kind of person if that is what an ubermensch is supposed to be.
Smallville and Friedrich Nietzsche — Superman and the Ubermensch | True Freethinker

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Atheism is Dead: The Mad Pagan Skeptic, part 2

Mariano has posted the second part of a wonderful series he is doing on his blog, Atheism Is Dead. Here is his intro for the post:

We now continue our tripartite consideration of the mad Pagan skeptic, having already considered Friedrich Nietzsche’s virtual prophecy about what would come about due to the death of God.
We will now consider a biblical statement about humanity’s natural knowledge of God and our purposeful negation of such knowledge.
And lastly, we will consider to what atheism has come as they seek to find meaning in a meaningless universe and seek to prop up their favored ideas upon contradictions of their own making.

This essay will be parsed as follows:
1) An Exposition of The Parable of the Mad Man
2) Neo Pagan Atheism
3) The Modern Skeptic

Mariano really does an awesome job stepping through Romans 1. I really recommend reading this, And part 1 of the series deserves your time also.

Atheism is Dead: The Mad Pagan Skeptic, part 2

Atheism is Dead: The Mad Pagan Skeptic, part 1

Friedrich Nietzsche via last.fm

Mariano has written a great essay discussing  atheism and its logical conclusions. He begins this series building on a Nietzche's  Parable of the Mad Man. It is brilliant. Here is his introduction:

Atheism is Dead will now begin a tripartite consideration of the mad Pagan skeptic whereby we will consider Friedrich Nietzsche’s virtual prophecy about what would come about due to the death of God.
We will also consider a biblical statement about humanity’s natural knowledge of God and our purposeful negation of such knowledge.
Lastly, we will consider to what atheism has come as they seek to find meaning in a meaningless universe and seek to prop up their favored ideas upon contradictions of their own making.

This essay will be parsed as follows:
1) An Exposition of The Parable of the Mad Man
2) Neo Pagan Atheism
3) The Modern Skeptic

Here is another example of a post so brilliant that i can't help but share it. I truly think that Nietzche went insane because without God there is nothing else for a human mind to do, but snap. Even atheists today, who are not insane, don't realize that they maintain conscious cohesiveness and rationality byu the whim of God.I recommend that everyone read Mariano's full article and the whole series!

Atheism is Dead: The Mad Pagan Skeptic, part 1