Wiley Blackwell, 2019 | Order from Amazon
Batman and Ethics breaks down the Dark Knight's moral code by looking at his actions and words over four decades of comics, from the early 1970s to 2011. By restricting myself to a period of (only) the comics in which I believe the character was portrayed fairly consistently, starting with Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams' legendary work and ending just before the New 52 relaunch, I try to show that Batman's moral behavior shows a deeply conflicted hero, one who tries to save lives and serve justice in several different ways but has trouble finding an acceptable balance between them—or even within any one goal. Instead, his actions and words reflect a mix of utilitarianism and deontology (with just a touch of virtue ethics) that reveals the value of each while demonstrating how difficult it is to pursue them at the same time.
The first half of the book covers the nature of his mission (in the context of utilitarianism) while the second half discusses what he will do—and will not do—to further it (in the context of deontology). In the process, I talk about issues such as:
1) Why does Batman refuse to kill even his most murderous villains even though that would contribute significantly to his self-professed goal of saving lives? (I discussed this in the first chapter of my 2008 co-edited book Batman and Philosophy, but I go much deeper into it here, including an extended ride on everyone's favorite trolley!)
2) How does Batman reconcile his widespread use of violence and torture with his mission—especially given that he often wields these tools against people who are not even suspected of committing crimes—and how do these actions compare with killing, which he refuses to do?
3) How does Batman choose which crimes to investigate or which criminals to pursue, and why does he give some a pass (such as a certain feline foe of whom he's famously fond)?
4) How can we explain Batman's often tenuous relationship with the Gotham City Police Department and his close friendship with Commissioner James Gordon—and how does all of this affect the pursuit and conduct of criminal justice in Gotham overall?
5) Why does Batman continue to train young boys to be his sidekicks when even he admits it's... problematic?
6) Is being Batman the best way Bruce Wayne can serve his mission of saving Gotham—and even if not, is it within his rights to do so? (And speaking of which, is it OK that he focuses so much on Gotham to the exclusion of the rest of the world?)
7) More generally, is Batman of value—to Gotham, to the world, and to Wayne himself?
Do these tough challenges suggest that Batman is any less of a hero or a good person? Not at all! If anything, it shows that he tries too hard to do too much along too many dimensions, setting himself up for failure to succeed at any one of them. But that's part of what makes Batman a fascinating character: he pushes himself harder than anyone can, holds himself to impossible standards, and beats himself up when he fails to live up to them.
It's also part of what him relatable, because most of us are morally conflicted in the same way. We all want to do what's good and we also want to do what's right, but we don't always have a clear idea what either of those means, much less how to settle conflicts between them. By looking at Batman's moral inconsistency, then, we might get a better picture of our own, and see how we might work on improving it.
REVIEWS
Armond Boudreaux at A Clash of Heroes, April 4, 2019:
White writes in a clear, engaging style that moves along quickly. He’s thoughtful, logical, and thorough without getting bogged down in overly-long philosophical explanations. There’s also plenty of humor in the book, but it’s never campy––just enough to keep the mood from getting too serious (Batman’s a pretty gloomy guy, after all). ... The book manages a balancing act that almost seems superhuman: it shows that superheroes are serious and philosophy is fun.
Bill Capossere at Fantasy Literature, January 27, 2020:
Many people, perhaps most, have a view of philosophy as arcanely abstract, dense, and humorless, conjuring up stern old German men as the face of the field. You won’t find any of that here. White is always crystal clear, engaging, fluid, and easy to follow. ... As a basic introduction to several ethical systems, and an in-depth, strongly supported exploration of Batman’s ethics, Batman and Ethics is clear, informative, engaging, and thought-provoking.
MEDIA
Podcast with Alain Guillot, May 21, 2019 (also on Youtube).
Podcast with Lilly J. Goren for New Books Network, May 24, 2019.
Seize the Moment podcast with Leon Garber and Alen Ulman, May 26, 2019:
Podcast with Amber Cazzell, January 7, 2020.
Good Is In the Details podcast with Gwendolyn Dolske, Rudy Salo, and Konstantin Hatcher, May 15, 2020.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Part I: What Batman Tries to Do—and How He Might Do It Better
1 Utilitarianism and the Mission
Utilitarianism: Bentham, Mill, and … Wayne?
Not as Simple as It Seems
2 Limitations of the Mission
The Dark Utilitarian
Fighting Crime and Only Fighting Crime
What about Vengeance and Justice?
Sticking to Gotham City
The Futility of the Bat
3 Trade‐Offs within the Mission
Holy Decisions, Batman!
The Partiality of the Bat
Save Rather Than Chase … No Matter Who Needs Saving
Save Everybody … Even Those Who Would Kill?
The Problem of the Robins
4 The Value and Meaning of the Bat
Is Being Batman the Best He Can Do?
But Is Batman Good for Gotham?
Is Batman … Happy?
What Being Batman Means … to Batman
Intermezzo
Part II: What Batman Is Willing to Do—and What He Isn’t
5 Deontology and the Rules
The Deontological Knight
The Brave and the Bold: Utilitarianism vs. Deontology
6 Killing
Thou Shalt Not Kill
To the Bat‐Trolley!
The Real Reason Batman Refuses to Kill … and the Problem with It
“There’s Always a Choice for People Like Us” … But Is There Really?
But He Has Killed … and More Than Once …
7 Torture and Violence
Torture
Does Batman Practice Torture?
The Ethics of Torture
Violence
What Batman Says About Violence
The Leslie Thompkins Objection
"Only When Necessary” … Really?
Losing Control
8 Law, Justice, and the Police
Breakin’ the Law
Batman’s Relationship with the Police … and the Vigilante Question
Taking the Law into His Own Hands
It’s Just Procedure … or Is It?
Lawbreaking for Me, But Not for Thee
Conclusion
List of Comics Writers and Artists