ftoc.indd viii 12/29/09 1:50:07 PM IRON MAN AND PHILOSOPHY ffirs.indd i 12/30/09 1:52:49 PM The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series Series Editor: William Irwin South Park and Philosophy House and Philosophy Edited by Robert Arp Edited by Henry Jacoby Metallica and Philosophy Watchmen and Philosophy Edited by William Irwin Edited by Mark D. White Family Guy and Philosophy X-Men and Philosophy Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski Edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski The Daily Show and Philosophy Edited by Jason Holt Terminator and Philosophy Edited by Richard Brown and Lost and Philosophy Kevin Decker Edited by Sharon Kaye Heroes and Philosophy 24 and Philosophy Edited by David Kyle Johnson Edited by Richard Davis, Jennifer Hart Week, and Ronald Weed Final Fantasy and Philosophy Edited by Jason Blahuta and Battlestar Galactica and Michel Beaulieu Philosophy Edited by Jason T. Eberl Twilight and Philosophy Edited by Rebecca Housel and The Offi ce and Philosophy J. Jeremy Wisnewski Edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski Batman and Philosophy Edited by Mark D. White and Robert Arp ffirs.indd ii 12/30/09 1:52:50 PM IRON MAN AND PHILOSOPHY FACING THE STARK REALITY Edited by Mark D. White John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ffirs.indd iii 12/30/09 1:52:50 PM This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans- mitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, record- ing, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifi cally disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fi tness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profi t or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Iron Man and philosophy: facing the Stark reality / edited by Mark D. White p.cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-470-48218-6 (pbk.) 1. Iron Man (Motion picture) I. White, Mark D., date. PN1997.2.I76I76 2010 791.43'72—dc22 2009031396 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ffirs.indd iv 12/30/09 1:52:51 PM CONTENTS Iron Introductions and Armored Acknowledgments 1 PART ONE THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF TONY STARK 5 1 The Stark Madness of Technology 7 George A. Dunn 2 The Technological Subversion of Technology: Tony Stark, Heidegger, and the Subject of Resistance 25 Rocco Gangle 3 The Literal Making of a Superhero 38 Travis N. Rieder PART TWO WEARING THE ARMOR RESPONSIBLY 51 4 Can Iron Man Atone for Tony Stark’s Wrongs? 53 Christopher Robichaud 5 Did Iron Man Kill Captain America? 64 Mark D. White 6 Fate at the Bottom of a Bottle: Alcohol and Tony Stark 80 Ron Novy v ftoc.indd v 12/29/09 1:50:06 PM vi CONTENTS PART THREE THE IRON AGE: TONY STARK’S ROLE IN SOCIETY 95 7 Tony Stark and “The Gospel of Wealth” 97 Andrew Terjesen 8 ™ and © Stark Industries: Iron Man and Property Rights 115 Daniel P. Malloy 9 Tony Stark, Philosopher King of the Future? 129 Tony Spanakos PART FOUR THE MIND INSIDE THE IRON MAN 145 10 Iron Man in a Chinese Room: Does Living Armor Think? 147 Ron Novy 11 Flexing His Intelligence: Tony Stark’s Brainy Brawn 160 Phillip S. Seng 12 Does Tony Stark Have an Iron Will? 172 Mark D. White PART FIVE THE VIRTUE OF AN AVENGER 187 13 Does Tony Stark Use a Moral Compass? 189 Sarah K. Donovan and Nicholas P. Richardson 14 Flawed Heroes and Courageous Villains: Plato, Aristotle, and Iron Man on the Unity of the Virtues 201 Carsten Fogh Nielsen ftoc.indd vi 12/29/09 1:50:06 PM CONTENTS vii 15 “I Have a Good Life”: Iron Man and the Avenger School of Virtue 217 Stephanie Patterson and Brett Patterson PART SIX WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN IRON MAN 231 16 Iron Man and the Problem of Progress 233 David Valleau Curtis 17 Engendering Justice in Iron Man 245 Rebecca Housel and Gary Housel 18 Iron Man’s Transcendent Challenge 256 Stephen Faller CONTRIBUTORS: Avengers Assembled 265 INDEX: Topics from the S.H.I.E.L.D. File on Tony Stark/Iron Man 273 ftoc.indd vii 12/29/09 1:50:07 PM ftoc.indd viii 12/29/09 1:50:07 PM IRON INTRODUCTIONS AND ARMORED ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Strange how much I owe to my life-giving transistors! They not only power my Iron Man armor, but they keep my injured heart beating so that Tony Stark can remain alive! My very existence is hanging by an electric cord! Well, enough philosophy for now! If I know my women, and nobody knows them better than Tony Stark . —Tales of Suspense #53, May 1964 Well, that may be enough philosophy for Tony Stark, but it’s defi nitely not enough for the contributors to the book you’re holding, not to mention its humble editor. For nearly forty years, comics buffs—and more recently, movie fans—have thrilled to the adventures of the armored avenger Iron Man and the romantic and business exploits of the man behind the mask, Tony Stark. But compared to other celebrated superheroes, Iron Man looks like a straightforward character. 1 cintro.indd 1 12/29/09 1:52:12 PM 2 INTRODUCTION Tony’s not a deeply tortured soul like Batman or a perennial outcast like each of Uncanny X-Men, and he’s not a front for a harsh portrayal of abuse of power like the characters of Watchmen. He’s a guy in a shiny metal suit who fi ghts bad guys—so what can philosophers possibly say about him? As it turns out, plenty! A certain webslinger we know is fond of saying that with great power comes great responsibil- ity, and Iron Man certainly wields great power—but does he show great responsibility? Does he behave ethically, and does he reason philosophically? Is there a downside to the tremen- dous technological advances that form Iron Man’s incredible armor? And is his true superpower the armor of Iron Man or the intelligence of Tony Stark? Speaking of whom, Tony Stark is infamous for his playboy persona or, to put it more bluntly, his alcoholic womanizing. So how do these character fl aws refl ect on Iron Man the hero? Despite the glitz, glamour, and gleaming armor, is tragedy actually the defi ning aspect of Tony Stark’s life? As you read this book, I hope you come to agree—if you didn’t already—that even the most “normal” of superheroes can inspire fascinating philosophical questions. Stan Lee may not have realized it at the time, but when he took a brilliant, handsome, and wealthy weapons manufacturer and turned his life upside down, he created a character with enough inner and outer turmoil to inspire stories like “Demon in a Bottle,” “Armor Wars,” and “The Mask in the Iron Man” (just to name a few). And Iron Man has more than enough depth to inspire philosophers like us—and that includes you, dear readers—to think about power, responsibility, intelligence, virtue, technology, and just what it must feel like to soar into the sky with jet-powered boots. (I’m still waiting for the last one—someday!) • • • cintro.indd 2 12/29/09 1:52:12 PM INTRODUCTION 3 For shepherding this book through with ease and grace, I want to thank Connie “Pepper” Santisteban and Eric “Happy” Nelson at Wiley; none of the books in the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series—or our love triangle, so essential to the plot—would be possible without them. Heartfelt thanks go out to Robert “Yinsen” Arp, who helped get this ball rolling in the fi rst place (and happily avoided the fate of his namesake).