The Philosophy of Batman
The philosophical background of this iconic character.
Working under pressure and endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and complaints are qualities well valuable nowadays. They are, sometimes, even requirements for job applications.
The qualities mentioned before are usually misnamed as Stoicism.
Stoicism is more than just an attitude or a state of mind. This philosophy, founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century BC, is intended to make us more resilient, happier, virtuous, and wiser, and as a result, better people, not only for our role as citizens and part of a society but also internally complete, stable and comfortable with ourselves.
Stoicism has been practiced by a wide different kind of people and characters through history, from writers to kings. In pop-culture, there is a character whom I believe is the perfect embodiment of this philosophy: Batman. This character has so many sides; its analysis may give us valuable teachings about Stoicism and the way we lead our life.
Before going deep in Batman’s analysis as a stoic character, let’s first have a general view of Stoicism and its principal characteristics.
Characteristics of Stoicism
One of the main aspects of Stoicism involves improving the individual’s ethical and moral well-being, where your virtues are the originator of will. Stoicism prompts self-control and courage as a means of overcoming destructive emotions. Instead of pursuing an ideal world, the philosophy holds that events should not be considered bad or good, because they are just events and facts; what qualifies it as good or bad is our inner-self, our vision of life.
One might not have control over the things that affect us, but one can control how we respond to them.
Stoicism has four principal virtues: Courage, Temperance, Justice, and Wisdom.
Courage involves facing and standing up on difficult situations you might find in your way with clarity and integrity. Having chances to test your courage is essential because otherwise, as Seneca said:
“No one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.”
Temperance, equally crucial as courage, is the exercise of self-restraint and moderation in all aspects; it is doing the right thing in the right amount in the right way. Temperance for stoics also involves understanding that fears, desires, and other emotions are unnatural, which means that everything that does not come from reasoning and logic is not correct.
Courage and temperance are core stoic virtues, but in their seriousness, there is no stoic virtue more important than justice, because it influences all the others. In Stoicism, justice is treating others fairly even when they have done wrong, and also believing that even a single person can make a difference.
Last but not least, we have Wisdom. For stoics, Wisdom is the ability to navigate the world and complex situations in a logical, informed, and calmed way. Wisdom is the Nirvana for stoics; that is why Zeno once said that we have two ears and one mouth for a reason: to listen more than we talk. And since we have two eyes, we are obligated to read and observe more than we say.
The code of ethics in Stoicism is also an important topic to study. For stoics, acts have no way to be judged, but the person’s intentions to commit it. Therefore, for having a judgment about an action, we have to study in the context of the purpose that led that person to do so.
Then, what does Batman have to do with Stoicism?
Batman and Stoicism
Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, was born in the most influential and wealthy family of his city. Later on, at the age of 8, he faced the most tragic situation in his life; his parents’ murder.
Obviously, this event triggered a series of thoughts in Bruce to determine if life was fair and what was the right or wrong thing to do. As said before, stoics believe that events should not be considered bad or good because they are just events and facts; afterward, we should consider our reaction to the event. Some children tragically lose their parents each day, but young Bruce took it differently than most.
It stole his innocence and directed him toward dedicating his life to make sure anybody else face the same tragedy he did. This is the nature of Batman as a character.
Batman is known for his code: Batman does not kill. Why?
First, Batman does not want to become a murderer. He once said that if he kills somebody, the number of criminals will stay the same, implying that killing will not differentiate him from other criminals.
Following, he also believes that once one crosses that line, it is too difficult for them to go back. Taking somebody’s life is not that simple as tweeting; it implies living under the consequences of killing over your shoulders, and that will destroy your conscience.
As mentioned before, stoics believe that even a single person can make a difference. Batman, therefore, believes even the worst criminal can change and become a righteous person. He will always give his enemies an opportunity to change their minds and restore their lives.
Finally, the last reason why Batman does not kill is that he is still that eight-year-old boy who lost his parents. He does not want to help create another Bruce Wayne or be the reason somebody feels the way he felt the day his parents were killed, which makes him an unlikely defender of childhood innocence.
Batman applies the four stoic principal virtues:
- He demonstrates his courage by standing up against crime and sacrificing the comforts he might had. He has also put his life in danger several times, even fighting against people with stronger abilities than him.
- Batman’s temperance is one of his most known qualities. It does not matter the situation, Batman puts his emotions aside and is the one who focuses his energies on thinking critically and logically; that is why all the other superheroes say he always has a plan for everything
- Batman’s sense of justice is the most profound aspect of his philosophy. Batman believes every criminal can be transformed into a good person. Even when people do wrong, he allows them to redo their acts. Batman refuses to become an executioner; he does the right thing in the right way, even if it does not make him happy or has to sacrifice something.
- Batman confirms his Wisdom with his acts and personality. He barely talks and is the calmest and quietest character from all his peers; he studies every situation and examines each detail in the circumstances he faces. All mentioned before makes him the best detective in the DC Comics universe.
Even with the aspects about Batman highlighted before, some people question his morals; but, what is involved in his morale?
Batman’s Morality
Batman has been questioned several times due to the methods he uses to obtain information and battle crime. Some people say that, even though he has a code that makes it impossible for him to kill, Batman does worse than killing you; he will break every bone in your body. Batman is brutal, and criminals are scared not to get killed but of getting injured the way Batman hurts the people he fights.
Plus, Batman sometimes acts outside of the law to accomplish his purpose. Even all said before is true, Batman, as a stoic character, understands that acts have no way to be judged, but the person’s intentions to commit it. Therefore, if he has to leave you in wheelchairs to save lives, he will do it, but he will not kill you. He breaks the law, but he does not break his morale.
The Joker, his biggest villain, once told a “joke,” which explains his theory about why Batman acts the way he does. The joke goes like this:
“See, there were these two guys in a lunatic asylum… and one night, one night they decide they don’t like living in an asylum any more. They decide they’re going to escape! So, like, they get up onto the roof, and there, just across this narrow gap, they see the rooftops of the town, stretching away in the moonlight… stretching away to freedom. Now, the first guy, he jumps right across with no problem. But his friend, his friend, didn’t dare make the leap. Y’ see… Y’ see, he’s afraid of falling. So then, the first guy has an idea… He says, “Hey! I have my flashlight with me! I’ll shine it across the gap between the buildings. You can walk along the beam and join me!” B-but, the second guy, just shakes his head. He suh-says… He says, “Wh-what, do you think I am? Crazy? You’d turn it off when I was halfway across!”
What this joke means is that both, Batman and the Joker, are equally insane but in different extremes. Batman has a vision of his philosophy that makes him go to an extreme that affects his family and romantic relationships and sometimes puts his life in so much danger, which is a flaw in the performance of his philosophy. Also, in the way of doing what he believes is correct, he does lots of things that might be questionable for most people.
Plus, his no-killing code has been distrusted because, meanwhile, some say that criminals keep killing innocent people and destroying the city.
Batman understands that there is a fine line between good and evil and, if he kills criminals, he is going to save himself and Gotham a lot of trouble, and life. But if he kills them, he will act as a “god,” which he is not and does not want to become. “No life is nothing,” Batman says, so he knows he does not have the right to contemplate human lives, not even the criminals’ ones.
All the information we have studied so far are just some examples that highlight how Batman represents a philosophy as deep as is Stoicism. However, many other details show us the complexity of this character from pop-culture on a larger scale. Seeing the background of pop-culture characters can teach us many things about life and philosophy, such as Wonder Woman and Kantianism, or Superman and Confucianism, and some others I am going to publish about later.
Batman’s moral code, courage, sense of justice, temperance, and code of ethics, not only do they make him the perfect representation of Stoicism in the pop-culture but also sets an example for all his fans and readers.
Batman teaches us that no matter how hard we fall, we should always take the step to rise again. That we should always stay true to our principles; to have the determination to do what is right, even if it does not make you happy. Sometimes doing what is right is more important than doing what feels good. Batman represents everything that humankind should stand for.
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