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More About This Title The Virtues of Captain America: Modern-Day Lessons on Character from a World War II Superhero
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The first look at the philosophy behind the Captain America comics and movies, publishing in advance of the movie release of Captain America: The Winter Solider in April 2014.
In The Virtues of Captain America, philosopher and long-time comics fan Mark D. White argues that the core principles, compassion, and judgment exhibited by the 1940’s comic book character Captain America remain relevant to the modern world. Simply put, "Cap" embodies many of the classical virtues that have been important to us since the days of the ancient Greeks: honesty, courage, loyalty, perseverance, and, perhaps most importantly, honor. Full of entertaining examples from more than 50 years of comic books, White offers some serious philosophical discussions of everyone’s favorite patriot in a light-hearted and accessible way.
- Presents serious arguments on the virtues of Captain America while being written in a light-hearted and often humorous tone
- Introduces basic concepts in moral and political philosophy to the general reader
- Utilizes examples from 50 years of comics featuring Captain America, the Avengers, and other Marvel superheroes
- Affirms the value of "old-fashioned" virtues for the modern world without indulging in nostalgia for times long passed
- Reveals the importance of the sound principles that America was founded upon
- Publishing in advance of Captain America: The Winter Soldier out in April 2014.
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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.
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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
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“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
