Spiderman and Plato
8 July 2004, 2:58 PM

Warning! Warning! Movie spoilers ahead. Proceed at your own risk.

I hope everyone can forgive me for blogging this, but remember what I said after I'd finished my forensics class last fall? (I'd link to the post but I can't find it and Google didn't help.) That it was hard to watch some movies and realize that they had the body decomposition all wrong, etc.?

Well, OF COURSE I'm seeing themes of the various philosophers we've covered in class in many of the books and movies I've been reading. And wouldn't you know it, there was Plato all over the new Spiderman movie.

Well, at least one aspect of Plato anyway. In class we'd been talking about the argument that makes up a lot of "The Republic" - Is the just man (or woman) happy?

Characters like Thrasymachus argue that he isn't, and that the unjust man is happiest because he's able to win honors and material things and basic needs for himself more easily. The just man is the one who gets screwed essentially, since he plays fair. Therefore his life is unhappy.

But that's not how Socrates (or rather, Plato) sees it - and through the dialogs he makes his point clear. The just man is naturally happy because he is a complete human being - rational action comes naturally and he is in harmony with himself.

And so, there I am, munching popcorn and watching a rather fun movie. I don't care what the snooty, "but it's comic books" folks think - the Spiderman movies so far have been well told, fun and well-rounded entertainment. In the latest one I could see the storytellers explore this theme of Plato's.

First off, our hero Peter Parker isn't doing to well. Aunt May's about to lose the house. He doesn't have the girl he cares so much about, he's broke, tired and he's not appreciated or lauded by the press - just the opposite in fact. He can't concentrate in class because he's so dead-dog tired and it looks like life is pretty bad. He can't even hold down a pizza delivery job because fighting crime keeps getting in the way. It seems that it's all because of his commitment to justice and doing good.

He finally has a breaking point and decides he's had enough. he wants some of the happy life for himself, and tosses the Spiderman costume in the trash. We see him later, rested, seemingly unconcerned and happy, going for the girl, getting his papers turned in on time and getting praised. But even so - something digs at him and he just. can't. help. it. He can't stand by when he knows there's a child trapped in a burning building. But all the while he's desiring these things and when he has them, his abilities as Spiderman start to fade - a symptom of the disharmony within.

Eventually his just personality wins out - despite all the accolades and a restful life and the possibility of winning the love-of-his-life, he just can't ignore that which is in him and he resumes his role as superhero, to save the day, despite the fact that he may have to give up everything that could make him happy in order to be just.

In the end, he is most happy when he is his just self, and luckily for our hero he also finds out that people do love and care about him. (I just loved the streetcar scene.)

Even the "villain" of the movie makes the choice we talked about in class. Would you choose the unjust, monstrous life if it guaranteed you'd be happy, or the life of the just, even if it could kill you? The scientist has everything - love, fame, respect and regard, until an accident spoils it all. The mechanical arms attached to his spine talk over his mind and body and he becomes a villain - until the end of the movie. With the mecha arms incapacitated briefly, the scientist re-emerges and makes the decision, "I will not die a monster!" and commits the just and good act, despite the fact that it kills him.

Anyway. I saw Kantian themes in the whole David Weiner Weblogging.com affair, but I'll spare you all THAT post.

NSF Report
8 July 2004, 10:10 AM

FYI!