We all know the Mighty Thor: Prince of Asgard, son of Odin the All-Father, and God of Thunder. He has long been one of the few worthy to wield the mystic hammer Mjolnir… until, one day, he is not. Soon, a new Thor emerges, a woman who commands the thunder and the hammer in ways all her own. She is none other than Jane Foster, who shares a long history with the Odinson, and as she learns to be her own version of the Mighty Thor, the Odinson can only watch and wonder why he is no longer wort...

We love to see superheroes fight, whether to protect innocent people from supervillains or to save the world. But superheroes also fight each other, and if we can look past the energy blasts and earth-shattering punches, we can find serious disagreements over principles and ethics. This was certainly the case when Captain America and Iron Man went head-to-head over liberty and security in Marvel Comics' epic Civil War storyline, a fictional allegory to post-9/11 America (as well as the bas...

The use of measures of economic output to guide policymaking has been criticized for decades because of their weak ties to human well-being. Recently, many scholars and politicians have called for measures of happiness or subjective well-being to be used to guide policy in people's true interests. In The Illusion of Well-Being, Mark D. White explains why using happiness as a tool for policymaking is misguided and unethical. Happiness is too vague a term to define, and too general a concept...

This book explores the steady decline in the status of the individual in recent years and addresses common misunderstandings about the concept of individuality. Drawing from psychology, neuroscience, technology, economics, philosophy, politics, and law, White explains how and why the individual has been devalued in the eyes of scholars, government leaders, and the public. He notes that developments in science have led to doubts about our cognitive competence, while assumptions mad...

In The Virtues of Captain America, philosopher and long-time comics fan Mark D. White shows us that this fictional superhero's "old-fashioned" moral code is exactly what we need today to restore kindness and respect in our personal and civic lives.Now in its second edition, The Virtues of Captain America is updated to include all the new developments in Captain America's saga. This edition also offers new material on Sam Wilson—formerly Captain America's partner t...

Being a crime fighting superhero is a tough job and it comes with no shortage of social and moral responsibilities. Why doesnt Batman just kill the Joker once and for all? If killing the Joker would mean saving thousands of innocent lives, why is this decision so difficult for Batman? Weighing the morality between right and wrong is just the tip of the iceberg in this fascinating and penetrating look at Americas favorite caped crusader. Batman and Philosophy parses the answers to questions...

Economics is often defined as the science of choice or human action. But choice and action are essentially mental phenomena, an aspect rarely mentioned in the economics discourse. Choice, while not always a conscious or rational process, is held to involve beliefs, desires, intentions and arguably even free will. Actions are often opposed to mere bodily movements, with the former being in some sense only understandable in reference to mental processes while the latter are understandable in...

On the surface, Iron Man appears to be a straightforward superhero, another rich guy fighting crime with fancy gadgets. But beneath the shiny armor and flashy technology lies Tony Stark, brilliant inventor and eccentric playboy, struggling to balance his desires, addictions, and relationships with his duties as the Armored Avenger. Iron Man and Philosophy explores the many philosophical issues that emerge from the essential conflicts found in the decades of Iron Man stories in comics and m...

An engaging look at the philosophical underpinnings of Earth's Mightiest Heroestimed for the release of Joss Whedon's long-awaited film adaptation Avengers, assemble! Tackling intriguing dilemmas and issues that no single great philosopher can withstand, this powerful book enlists the brainpower of an A-list team of history's most prominent thinkers to explore the themes behind the action of Marvel Comics' all-star superhero team. Arms you with new insights into the characters and themes o...

William Boyd Dawkins was a controversial Victorian geologist, palaeontologist and archaeologist who has divided opinion as either a hero or villain. For some, he was a pioneer of Darwinian science as a member of the Lubbock-Evans network, while for others he was little more than a reckless vandal who destroyed irreplaceable evidence and left precious little for future generations to assess.In this volume, Professor Mark White provides an unbiased archaeological and geological accou...

4-Gen Leadership: Thriving in a Multi-Generational Workplace is a practical guide for those aspiring to be multi-generational leaders in today’s evolving business landscape. 4-gen leadership is the philosophy and actions leaders can take to help all generations (baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z) be accepted, honored, and united into one effective, harmonious team. The authors have created a resource that leaders across every industry at all levels of le...

During his lifetime, John F. Kennedy created a dazzling image that has been sustained since his assassination in 1963. This book examines how Kennedy succeeded in using his military service in World War II, his literary efforts, his sex appeal, his family and other attributes and achievements to develop such a potent image. It also explores the roles played by Joseph and Jackie Kennedy in bolstering his appeal.Probably no other figure in history has created such a positive impressi...