The first unauthorized look at the philosophy behind Heroes, one of TV's most popular shows When ordinary individuals from around the world inexplicably develop superhuman abilities, they question who they are, struggle to cope with new responsibilities, and decide whether to use their new power for good or for evil. Every episode of Tim Kring's hit TV show Heroes is a philosophical quandary. Heroes and Philosophy is the first book to analyze how philosophy makes this show so compelling. It lets you examine questions crucial to our existence as thinking, rational beings. Is the Company evil, or good? Does Hiro really have a destiny? Do we? Is it okay to lie in order to hide your powers or save the world? Heroes and Philosophy offers answers to these and other intriguing questions. Brings the insight of history's philosophical heavyweights such as Plato and Nietzche to Heroes characters and settings Adds a fun and fascinating dimension to your understanding of the show Expands your thinking about Heroes as the series expands from graphic and text novels to action figures and a video game Whether you're new to Heroes or have been a fan since day one, this book will take your enjoyment of the show to the next level.

Great Caesars Ghost!! A team of Brainiacs! Superheroes and Philosophy is Kryptonite for those super villains who diss the heroes as lightweights! Riddle me this, Batman: How are Gotham City and Metropolis like ancient Athens and modern Paris? Read this sensational book and find out!

The idea of heroism has become thoroughly muddled today. In contemporary society, any behavior that seems distinctly difficult or unusually impressive is classified as heroic: everyone from firefighters to foster fathers to freedom fighters are our heroes. But what motivates these people to act heroically and what prevents other people from being heroes? In our culture today, what makes one sort of hero appear more heroic than another sort? In order to answer these questions, Ari Kohen turns to classical conceptions of the hero to explain the confusion and to highlight the ways in which distinct heroic categories can be useful at different times. Untangling Heroism argues for the existence of three categories of heroism that can be traced back to the earliest Western literature – the epic poetry of Homer and the dialogues of Plato – and that are complex enough to resonate with us and assist us in thinking about heroism today. Kohen carefully examines the Homeric heroes Achilles and Odysseus and Plato’s Socrates, and then compares the three to each other. He makes clear how and why it is that the other-regarding hero, Socrates, supplanted the battlefield hero, Achilles, and the suffering hero, Odysseus. Finally, he explores in detail four cases of contemporary heroism that highlight Plato’s success. Kohen states that in a post-Socratic world, we have chosen to place a premium on heroes who make other-regarding choices over self-interested ones. He argues that when humans face the fact of their mortality, they are able to think most clearly about the sort of life they want to have lived, and only in doing that does heroic action become a possibility. Kohen’s careful analysis and rethinking of the heroism concept will be relevant to scholars across the disciplines of political science, philosophy, literature, and classics.

We are each heroes in the making. How can this be? Because we can reflect on our actions. We have the potential to become heroes in every aspect and every action of our lives... Being a hero is much more than committing a heroic act. One does not magically morph into a "hero" as a result of circumstance: the just-in-time rescue, rising up in the midst of a crisis, or even leading others out of a catastrophe. Becoming a hero is more than even these courageous acts. It requires deep insight-the type of philosophical investigation that the greatest minds throughout history have pondered. With his book series Philosophy for Heroes, Clemens Lode bridges the gap between coding, science, philosophy, and, ultimately, leadership. In Philosophy for Heroes: Knowledge, he takes the reader on a journey, examining the foundations of knowledge. What is the basis of our understanding of the world? How does society define a "hero"? How do basic skills, such as language and mathematics, train our way of thinking and reasoning? Becoming a hero requires more than courage. It requires speaking up, stepping forward from the sidelines, and taking action. For all of this, a deep insight into philosophy is the first, and most important, step. Philosophy for Heroes connects the wisdom of the ages to today's real world. Table of Contents 1 My Philosophy 1.1 Heroism 1.1.1 The Conventional Hero 1.1.2 Heroes and Conflicts 1.2 The Key to Wisdom 1.3 Why Philosophy Is Important 1.4 Basics of Philosophy 1.5 Ontology 1.5.1 The Fallacy of the Stolen Concept 1.5.2 The Axiom of Existence 1.5.3 The Axiom of Identity 1.5.4 The Axiom of Consciousness 1.6 Epistemology 1.6.1 Perception 1.6.1.1 The Limits of Perception 1.6.1.2 The Range of Perception 1.6.2 Concepts 1.6.2.1 Concept Formation 1.6.2.2 Establishment of a Definition 1.6.2.3 Concept Hierarchies 1.6.2.4 Conceptual Common Denominator 1.6.2.5 Boundary Cases 1.6.2.6 Concepts in Computers 1.6.3 Induction and Deduction 1.6.4 Rationalism 1.6.5 Induction and Empiricism 1.6.5.1 A World Without Induction 1.6.5.2 The Problem of Induction 1.6.5.3 The Truth 2 Language 2.1 Properties of Language 2.1.1 The Origin of Writing 2.1.2 Completeness and Consistency 2.1.2.1 Incomplete Languages 2.1.2.2 Inconsistent Languages 2.1.3 Language Optimization 2.1.4 Learning of Languages 2.2 Language and Mathematics 2.2.1 Sets 2.2.1.1 Set of all Sets 2.2.1.2 Countable Sets 2.2.2 Ratios 2.2.3 Irrational Numbers 2.2.4 Mathematics and Empiricism 2.2.5 The Zero 2.2.6 Mathematics and Reality 2.3 The Value of Language 2.3.1 The Foundation of Knowledge 2.3.2 The Theory of Mind 2.3.3 Language as Communication 2.3.3.1 Differences in Concepts 2.3.3.2 Cultural Differences 2.3.3.3 Translatability 2.3.3.4 Other Forms of Intelligence 2.3.3.5 The Arecibo Message 2.3.3.6 Trust 2.3.3.7 Language in Society

The first unauthorized look at the philosophy behind Heroes, one of TV's most popular shows When ordinary individuals from around the world inexplicably develop superhuman abilities, they question who they are, struggle to cope with new responsibilities, and decide whether to use their new power for good or for evil. Every episode of Tim Kring's hit TV show Heroes is a philosophical quandary. Heroes and Philosophy is the first book to analyze how philosophy makes this show so compelling. It lets you examine questions crucial to our existence as thinking, rational beings. Is the Company evil, or good? Does Hiro really have a destiny? Do we? Is it okay to lie in order to hide your powers or save the world? Heroes and Philosophy offers answers to these and other intriguing questions. Brings the insight of history's philosophical heavyweights such as Plato and Nietzche to Heroes characters and settings Adds a fun and fascinating dimension to your understanding of the show Expands your thinking about Heroes as the series expands from graphic and text novels to action figures and a video game Whether you're new to Heroes or have been a fan since day one, this book will take your enjoyment of the show to the next level.

Adventure Time and Philosophy is a monster-beating, wild ride of philosophical mayhem. The authors have come together to understand and explore one of the deepest and most thoughtful television shows ever to assault human brain waves. Where Adventure Time shows us what the world could be like, this book screws open our cranial lids, mucks about in the mess that is our heads, and attempts to come to some answers about the nature of reality. Adventure Time challenges everything we know about life, meaning, heroism, and even burritos. And it’s time to give the show some serious thought. Adventure Time and Philosophy is a chance to put down your broadsword, put your exhausted monster-slaying feet up, and try to figure out why you spend your time rescuing people in distress and fighting for justice. What is justice anyway? If you don’t happen to have your pocket edition of the Enchiridion on hand, and Billy the Hero *wicked guitar solo* hasn’t been returning your calls, pick up Adventure Time and Philosophy and learn what it means to be a real hero! The authors of the chapters will prove that Adventure Time is much more than a cartoon, it’s a way of life. . . . It’s also the future!-—a post-apocalyptic future 10,000 years after the Great Mushroom War, actually. Who better to have as companions than Finn and Jake when taking on Plato, Nietzsche, and Baudrillard or encountering the Slime Princess, the Ice King, and Marceline the Vampire Queen. In a review of the show in Entertainment Weekly, Darren Franich characterized Adventure Time as a “hybrid sci-fi/fantasy/horror/musical/fairy tale, with echoes of Calvin and Hobbes, Hayao Miyazaki, Final Fantasy, Richard Linklater, Where the Wild Things Are, and the music video you made with your high school garage band.” This book is filled with chapters written by a colorful cast of characters who enlighten us about the profound and life-affirming spiritual subtext and dark comedic elements of an awesomely fantastic show.

This unique collection looks at analytic philosophy in its historical context. Prominent philosophers discuss key figures, including Russell and Wittgenstein, methods and results in analytic philosophy to present its story. This volume assesses the challenge posed by changing cultural and philosophical trends and movements.