Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test
Alan Moore’s Watchmen is set in 1985 and chronicles the alternative history of the United States where the US edges dangerously closer to nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Within this world exists a group of crime busters, who don elaborate costumes to conceal their identity and fight crime, and an intricate plot to kill and discredit these “superheroes.”
Alan Moore’s Watchmen popularized the graphic novel format, has been named one of Time magazine’s top 100 novels, and is now being made into a highly anticipated movie adaptation. This latest book in the popular Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series peers into Moore’s deeply philosophical work to parse and deconstruct the ethical issues r… More >>
Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test
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A most thoght provoking analysis of the philosophicla implications of the The Watchman. For those not versed in philosophical perspectives and arguments, this is a great primer to a world of intriguing thoughts. Well worth the read.
Rating: 5 / 5
Great book love reading it. WARNING: NOT FOR THE AVERAGE READER! There are very large words and very deep and thought provoking concepts in this book, but if you can handle it, buy now! A must for any watchmen fan who has ever wondered ” Why did…”
Rating: 4 / 5
Is a book like Watchmen and Philosophy an attempt to find philosophical meaning in one of the most popular and well-respected graphic novels ever? Or is it trying to introduce the lay reader to philosophy by applying it to Watchmen? Or is it merely a way for philosophers to make a few easy bucks (in a field not known for its high-paying job opportunities) by exploiting popular TV shows and comics (besides the Watchmen, other books in the series look at Family Guy, Batman, The X-Men, The Office, House, Lost and 24). The answer seems to be yes to all three.
Watchmen and Philosophy is a collection of essays by various instructors in the field, and is based strictly on the original graphic novel, with no references to the movie. It is divided into four parts, each with three or four essays. In Part One, “The Politics of Power: Who Watches the Watchmen?”, deals with the responsibilities of being exceptional people who act as vigilantes and super-soldiers and how these so-called superheroes (actually, only the god-like Dr. Manhattan is really super-powered) can influence world events.
Part Two, :The Veidt Plan: The Watchmen and Ethics” deal with various ethical issues, especially related to Ozymandias’s rather extreme method to bring about world peace. Does the end justify the means? And is Rorschach right or wrong to want to expose the plan, even if it undoes the good and render a vast amount of deaths futile. Part Three, “The Metaphysics of Dr. Manhattan”, deal with the issues faced by Dr. Manhattan, particularly his near omniscience (able to see both the past and future reasonably clearly) and his vast power. Part Four, “This is Not Your Father’s Comic Book” deals with whether The Watchmen is literature and gender roles within the book.
Of course, if you haven’t read The Watchmen, you will get little out of Watchmen and Philosophy. Occasionally, I found this book a little overanalytical, but it is at least well-written and thought-provoking. This is a decent enough book, one that would give any fan of The Watchmen some deeper insight into the novel.
Rating: 4 / 5
Batman and Philosophy was the first entry in this series I read, and it was excellent. As such, I was excited to get my hands on this entry – all the more so because Watchmen has so much potential to explore philosophical and moral/ethical issues already built into the story and characters. My hopes were high, and I have not been disappointed.
Watchmen and Philosophy features clear, strong writing and the articles never feel too simplistic too difficult to follow, which makes it the ideal book to learn a bit about philosophy and ethics if you’re rusty, or to easily reacquaint yourself with old philosopher friends if you’re a philosophy geek like me. If you’re interested in either topic, I highly recommend this book as an excellent, intellectually simulating summer read. Or winter read! Or anytime read, really.
Rating: 5 / 5
a great counter part for the series, that being the modern philosphy and pop culture series. Much lighter than the Simpsons version and on par with Star Wars and the Matrix and philosophy.
Rating: 5 / 5