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Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture #12
X-Men and Philosophy: Astonishing Insight and Uncanny Argument in the Mutant X-Verse
X-Men is one of the most popular comic book franchises ever, with successful spin-offs that include several feature films, cartoon series, bestselling video games, and merchandise. This is the first look at the deeper issues of the X-Men universe and the choices facing its powerful "mutants," such as identity, human ethics versus mutant morality, and self-sacrifice.
J. Jeremy Wisnewski (Oneonta, NY) is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Hartwick College and the editor of Family Guy and Philosophy (978-1-4051-6316-3) and The Office and Philosophy (978-1-4051-7555-5). Rebecca Housel (Rochester, NY) is a professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, where she teaches about writing and pop culture. For William Irwin's biography, please see below.
J. Jeremy Wisnewski (Oneonta, NY) is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Hartwick College and the editor of Family Guy and Philosophy (978-1-4051-6316-3) and The Office and Philosophy (978-1-4051-7555-5). Rebecca Housel (Rochester, NY) is a professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, where she teaches about writing and pop culture. For William Irwin's biography, please see below.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 23, 2009
33 people are currently reading
720 people want to read
About the author
William Irwin
127 books127 followersWilliam Irwin is Professor of Philosophy at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and is best known for originating the "philosophy and popular culture" book genre with Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (1999) and The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer (2001).
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 9, 2010
This is from the "Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series," which features scholars writing essays using specific philosophers and schools of thought to examine what could be considered modern folklore, in this case, characters, events and recurring themes in the X-Mythos. Some of the pieces in this book were spot-on and insightful, others were reaching, and the rest were totally over my head. Some of the ones I liked were:
"Amnesia, Personal Identity, and the Many Lives of Wolverine"
"Is Suicide Always Immoral? Jean Grey, Immanuel Kant, and 'The Dark Phoenix Saga'"
"The X-Verse and Camus' 'Myth of Sisyphus'--or, Why Can't the World Stay Saved?"
"X-Women and X-istence"
"When You Know You're Just a Comic Book Character: Deadpool"
And of course, "The Ethics of Mind-Reading"
"Amnesia, Personal Identity, and the Many Lives of Wolverine"
"Is Suicide Always Immoral? Jean Grey, Immanuel Kant, and 'The Dark Phoenix Saga'"
"The X-Verse and Camus' 'Myth of Sisyphus'--or, Why Can't the World Stay Saved?"
"X-Women and X-istence"
"When You Know You're Just a Comic Book Character: Deadpool"
And of course, "The Ethics of Mind-Reading"
October 23, 2023
This book is an interesting look at academic philosophy through the lens of pop culture, specifically the X-Men. While it occasionally goes into the X-Men comics, it primarily looks at the X-men cinematic universe. This is good for me because I have actually watched all of those, and I haven't read many of the comics. Anyway, the book was interesting, touching on everything from Aristotle to what it means to be human to how we interact with technology. Unfortunately, the chapters don't really unite into a whole and it falls into the category of books that I don't do very well with that are X things about Y that don't connect what you read from chapter to chapter. I don't know how else to do philosophy, though, and almost every philosophy book I've ever read does this. Anyway, most of the essays were interesting and well thought out and I enjoyed reading them.
July 4, 2024
Most of these essays were an easy read and brought up some interesting connections. One or two were kind of pointless, someone else in the reviews mentioned the X-Women article and I agree, it was just listing the female characters rather than actually saying something. Aside from the odd one here and there, most of them I quite liked reading.
August 19, 2019
I just finished it for the same week and i really enjoyed it. I loved how at first the storylines didn't seem to have anything to do with each other but slowly details were revealed to show how they are all connected.
December 11, 2024
It was a great experience for me to read this book. But some of the chapters were not very good or interesting. If I’m thinking about what to read next during a chapter then it’s not really written well in my opinion.
June 19, 2020
Some chapters I agreed with, some I didn't, but they were all thought-provoking.
November 10, 2024
Interesting read, educative and also entertaining.
April 12, 2012
The essays in this collection were really hit and miss. The good ones were great, but the not-so-good essays were either boring, redundant, or didn't really argue anything. There was one, "X-Women and X-istence" that was just describing various female characters; umm, if I'm reading a book about X-men, I probably know who Storm and Jean Grey are. Another one, "Amnesia, Personal Identity...", was written in this awful childish manner - I think it was attempting to come across as approachable, but it totally failed and made me cringe. Another essay in the collection tried a similar tone and succeeded, so it's not as if I'm biased against unconventional approaches. "X-istential X-men" went too literal with applying a definition of existentialism to the lives of the x-men, going through a checklist of how the definition applied to them, but everyone has the potential to apply existentialism to themselves, so arguing that the X-men are existential isn't really... well, it's just stupid, ok? Existentialism is a way of thinking, not a state of being. Oh, and the article about Layla Miller misquoted Dante! Not impressed!
Anyway, my favorites were "Mutant Phenomenology", "Dirty Hands and Dirty Minds", "The Mutant Cure and Social Change" and "When You Know You're Just a Comic Book Character: Deadpool." The last one was possibly due to my crush on Deadpool, but that's beside the point. These were great because they were entertaining, raised interesting points, and were well-written.
The best articles for intellectual argument/actual philosophy were "High Tech Mythology in X-Men" and "Is Suicide Always Immoral?" The latter two actually read like essays - they take a concept and flush it out using references from X-Men. The other articles took references from X-Men and linked them to philosophy concepts, so didn't really have valid arguments, just interesting observations. That's where this collection really fell flat - Star Wars and Philosophy really had great arguments about morality and choice and technology, where this collection was lacking a little depth.
I was also hoping for an analysis of Rogue and Gambit's impossible love, but oh well.
Here is a taste of one of the best essays:
"The X-men series is an ongoing metanarrative, perhaps the most potent in contemporary culture, permitting a way for us to contemplate the possibilities outside of the worn, archaic mythical structures that are offered in the traditional religions and institutions whose origins stem from a nontechnological environment." - "High Tech Mythology in X-Men"
Anyway, my favorites were "Mutant Phenomenology", "Dirty Hands and Dirty Minds", "The Mutant Cure and Social Change" and "When You Know You're Just a Comic Book Character: Deadpool." The last one was possibly due to my crush on Deadpool, but that's beside the point. These were great because they were entertaining, raised interesting points, and were well-written.
The best articles for intellectual argument/actual philosophy were "High Tech Mythology in X-Men" and "Is Suicide Always Immoral?" The latter two actually read like essays - they take a concept and flush it out using references from X-Men. The other articles took references from X-Men and linked them to philosophy concepts, so didn't really have valid arguments, just interesting observations. That's where this collection really fell flat - Star Wars and Philosophy really had great arguments about morality and choice and technology, where this collection was lacking a little depth.
I was also hoping for an analysis of Rogue and Gambit's impossible love, but oh well.
Here is a taste of one of the best essays:
"The X-men series is an ongoing metanarrative, perhaps the most potent in contemporary culture, permitting a way for us to contemplate the possibilities outside of the worn, archaic mythical structures that are offered in the traditional religions and institutions whose origins stem from a nontechnological environment." - "High Tech Mythology in X-Men"
October 14, 2011
A fair warning: Do not be fooled by the title. This book is not about the philosophy behind the creation of X-Men. It is about the philosophy that is behind their behavior. What is the reason for how they behave? That is the sole question explained in the book using X-Men as reference examples. But, do not be disappointed X-Men fans. All the X-Men examples are completely fulfilling to our mutant appetites.
X-Men and Philosophy is a take on the various natures of both humans and (if they exist) mutants. William Irwin makes it clear that mutants are no different from humans when it comes to behavior. Their actions, just like ours, are as normal as can be.
And to fulfill your hunger for core mutant related material, you can feast on these chapters:
- Amnesia, Personal Identity and The Many Lives of Wolverine- A sequential account of Wolverine’s life mentioned. Enjoy.
- X-Women and X-Istence- The title speaks for itself.
- When You Know You’re Just a Comic Book Character: Deadpool
- Magneto, Mutation and Mortality
- Professor X Wants You
If you read philosophical books, this one's for you.
X-Men and Philosophy is a take on the various natures of both humans and (if they exist) mutants. William Irwin makes it clear that mutants are no different from humans when it comes to behavior. Their actions, just like ours, are as normal as can be.
And to fulfill your hunger for core mutant related material, you can feast on these chapters:
- Amnesia, Personal Identity and The Many Lives of Wolverine- A sequential account of Wolverine’s life mentioned. Enjoy.
- X-Women and X-Istence- The title speaks for itself.
- When You Know You’re Just a Comic Book Character: Deadpool
- Magneto, Mutation and Mortality
- Professor X Wants You
If you read philosophical books, this one's for you.
June 19, 2017
I came upon this book by pure chance while browsing through my university library. This book, naturally, was placed in the philosophy section, and the title drew me in immediately. I wasted no time in checking the book out and starting to read it.
The first few essays in this collection really drew my interest to keep reading more; they started off the book with essays discussing the nature of the X-Men, and why us, mere humans, fantasized on having superpowers like the mutants. It raised many good questions and insights for me to think of, such as: to what extent would we sacrifice our self-identity to be different? Just what level of "different" can we tolerate in our society? And many more.
It was interesting for me to read this book to get a perspective on just how deep the X-Men franchise could be connected to human philosophy. There are definitely a lot of hidden gems of ingenuity portrayed through the X-Men characters, and it is quite fascinating to delve more into their lives and their histories, both in the movie and comic universes, and analyze them through the perspective of philosophy.
The first few essays in this collection really drew my interest to keep reading more; they started off the book with essays discussing the nature of the X-Men, and why us, mere humans, fantasized on having superpowers like the mutants. It raised many good questions and insights for me to think of, such as: to what extent would we sacrifice our self-identity to be different? Just what level of "different" can we tolerate in our society? And many more.
It was interesting for me to read this book to get a perspective on just how deep the X-Men franchise could be connected to human philosophy. There are definitely a lot of hidden gems of ingenuity portrayed through the X-Men characters, and it is quite fascinating to delve more into their lives and their histories, both in the movie and comic universes, and analyze them through the perspective of philosophy.
March 28, 2015
The X-Men are a perfect subject for Popular Culture and Philosophy series, as it is far and away the most deeply philosophical super hero comic ever written. As with other entries in the series, it is not necessary to have prior knowledge of the subject to understand the book, but obviously it will be more enjoyable if you do.
Topics tackled here include the nature of personal identity, the ethics of suicide, responsible use/misuse of power, moral choices vs. intellectual choices, Deadpool as an example of post-modernism and definition of race. It is all pretty weighty stuff, but there is plenty of food for thought here. The writers also dry comparisons between the plight of mutants and the plight of Jews and draw close attention to the inherently feminist nature of the series.
Despite the weighty nature of many of the essays, this is for the most part a fun read that is intended to entertain first and foremost. In the process, it gives you a lot to think about, but whether you actually do so is entirely up to you. In that respect, it is much like the comic books themselves.
Topics tackled here include the nature of personal identity, the ethics of suicide, responsible use/misuse of power, moral choices vs. intellectual choices, Deadpool as an example of post-modernism and definition of race. It is all pretty weighty stuff, but there is plenty of food for thought here. The writers also dry comparisons between the plight of mutants and the plight of Jews and draw close attention to the inherently feminist nature of the series.
Despite the weighty nature of many of the essays, this is for the most part a fun read that is intended to entertain first and foremost. In the process, it gives you a lot to think about, but whether you actually do so is entirely up to you. In that respect, it is much like the comic books themselves.
September 10, 2015
This was a very well put together anthology of essays. It had its ups and downs, but it overall had several very cogent and thoughtful pieces inside this nicely edited book.
Some of the more fascinating essays had to do with an exploration of seeing the idea of the, "Mutant Cure," through the prism of a disability in a normal human. Another couple had a particularly interesting philosophical view of this fictional subject by looking at it as an example of Trans-humanism, and how the coming decades may make this more than a speculative and academic discussion.
Good stuff overall. If you love superheroes, mutants, philosophy, or or interesting writing, open this up and read.
Some of the more fascinating essays had to do with an exploration of seeing the idea of the, "Mutant Cure," through the prism of a disability in a normal human. Another couple had a particularly interesting philosophical view of this fictional subject by looking at it as an example of Trans-humanism, and how the coming decades may make this more than a speculative and academic discussion.
Good stuff overall. If you love superheroes, mutants, philosophy, or or interesting writing, open this up and read.
October 1, 2015
Its long been said to me that, "There will be a single book that will be constantly referenced within your dissertation..."
Well, this is THE book for my work.
I'm not a wordy person, but the theories are put across in such a manner that all, regardless of experience and knowledge, can gain from this book.
While at times it does somewhat over reference the comics, where its not appropriate, this does not stop you being fully engaged within each essay.
I cant express my high regard for this series enough. It is engaging while full of knowledge, and it sinks in and does leave you asking questions, something that all the best lectures I've experienced do make you do!
Well, this is THE book for my work.
I'm not a wordy person, but the theories are put across in such a manner that all, regardless of experience and knowledge, can gain from this book.
While at times it does somewhat over reference the comics, where its not appropriate, this does not stop you being fully engaged within each essay.
I cant express my high regard for this series enough. It is engaging while full of knowledge, and it sinks in and does leave you asking questions, something that all the best lectures I've experienced do make you do!
January 10, 2011
Es posible que pienses que los autores del libro solamente utilizan a los X-Men como una excusa para escribir sobre los aburridos temas que a ellos les interesan. Lo sé, yo mismo albergué estas dudas en mi mente, pero puedes estar seguro de que no es así. Varios autores son verdaderos fans de los X-Men, pero tampoco permiten que esto los aparte de los estándares de rigor y claridad que hay que esperar de un buen texto filosófico.
April 14, 2015
I am sure that this book has a purpose, I am just not sure what it is.
Too casual and jokey in tone to sustain an interest, and not irritate the piss out of, anyone over the age of 14. Yet grappling with concepts that few under 14s have much interest in.
I am clearly not really its target market, but I did expect to enjoy the journey a lot more.
Also, astonishing insight? Um, not really. But I see what you did there...
Too casual and jokey in tone to sustain an interest, and not irritate the piss out of, anyone over the age of 14. Yet grappling with concepts that few under 14s have much interest in.
I am clearly not really its target market, but I did expect to enjoy the journey a lot more.
Also, astonishing insight? Um, not really. But I see what you did there...
August 11, 2012
HAHAHA What a brilliant book. I'm no huge fan of philosophy, but this collection of essays really breaks it down into manageable chunks. Throw in that it revolves around a subject of superheroes that I know very well and it was an very rewarding read. I learned something AND both impressed/scared myself with how much of the X-verse I know.
June 16, 2011
The essays written based on the comics were immensely more enjoyable than those written base solely on the movies.
Loved the last essay and its discourse on equating mutant powers as technological powers in current society.
Loved the last essay and its discourse on equating mutant powers as technological powers in current society.
August 2, 2011
I didn't get this book too much either, I think I need to have a bigger vocabulary and get into philosophy in high school later but I love the x-men and the parts re-enacting parts in the series as well as the descriptions of the characters and what they think of themselves.
May 9, 2012
Kind'a cool, very thought provoking. My boyfriend read this aloud to me while we drove to my parents and back and it started some excellent conversations. It's definitely a must-read for any comic/graphic novel nerd and would be a pretty interesting read for anyone into psychology.
September 9, 2013
Stunner. Very insightful, and a must-read for every nerd, socio-political theorist, literature critic, philosopher...whatever. Everyone who cares about issues of identity, difference and what it means to be.
June 17, 2012
I have mixed feelings about this one. Some of the essays were fantastic, most of them were really good, but the ones I didn't like were way off the mark. Thus, three stars.
June 10, 2013
This is a very well-put-together pop culture philosophy series, and this edition is no exception.
December 24, 2014
4.5 actually, check the DEADPOOL chapter!!!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews