Was it morally good or bad for Batman to kill the Joker? Of course it was good, everyone thought Joker was a murderous psychopath right? The Joker killed thousands of innocent people, so how could anyone disagree? And don’t forget we are talking about Batman here, he always fought for the good of all man kind.
Why did Batman wait so long to kill the Joker? Batman asks himself this question in our comics. Even the Joker laughs at Batman’s delayed refusal to kill him. What was Batman thinking? Thinking philosophically about Batman and some other superheroes may help us better deal with some of the issues that are going on today. For instance, if we say that Batman should kill the Joker, doesn’t that imply that we should torture terror suspects because they might tell us something?
To help us out here are three major schools of ethics:
• Utilitarianism: based on the work of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill; would probably endorse killing the Joker, based on comparing the many lives saved compared to the one life lost.
• Deontology: stemming largely from the writings of Immanuel Kant; would focus on the act of murder itself, rather than the consequences. Kant’s position would be more ambiguous than the utilitarian’s: while it may be preferable for the Joker to be dead, it may not be morally right for any person (such as the Batman) to kill him. If the Joker is to be punished, it should be through official procedures, not vigilante justice. More generally, while the Joker is evil, he is still a human being and is thus deserving of a least a minimal level of respect and humanity.
• Virtue ethics: dating back to the ancient Greeks; would highlight the character of the person who kills the Joker. Does Batman want to be the kind of person that takes his enemies’ lives? If he killed the Joker, would he be able to stop there or would every two-bit thug get the same treatment?
According to these, there are good reasons for and against killing the Joker. Of course, Batman would have to think about his image. What would people think if he murdered people?
- Nicole
Why did Batman wait so long to kill the Joker? Batman asks himself this question in our comics. Even the Joker laughs at Batman’s delayed refusal to kill him. What was Batman thinking? Thinking philosophically about Batman and some other superheroes may help us better deal with some of the issues that are going on today. For instance, if we say that Batman should kill the Joker, doesn’t that imply that we should torture terror suspects because they might tell us something?
To help us out here are three major schools of ethics:• Utilitarianism: based on the work of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill; would probably endorse killing the Joker, based on comparing the many lives saved compared to the one life lost.
• Deontology: stemming largely from the writings of Immanuel Kant; would focus on the act of murder itself, rather than the consequences. Kant’s position would be more ambiguous than the utilitarian’s: while it may be preferable for the Joker to be dead, it may not be morally right for any person (such as the Batman) to kill him. If the Joker is to be punished, it should be through official procedures, not vigilante justice. More generally, while the Joker is evil, he is still a human being and is thus deserving of a least a minimal level of respect and humanity.
• Virtue ethics: dating back to the ancient Greeks; would highlight the character of the person who kills the Joker. Does Batman want to be the kind of person that takes his enemies’ lives? If he killed the Joker, would he be able to stop there or would every two-bit thug get the same treatment?
According to these, there are good reasons for and against killing the Joker. Of course, Batman would have to think about his image. What would people think if he murdered people?
- Nicole
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