Nicholas Fulford (#8 TR): Superman a God Amongst Men (Installment two)

       

        So in my previous installment I discussed the very nature of Superman. Superman is a being who wields a vast amount of power. At the same time he throws away every expectation we have of someone who wields enormous power. Now some would argue that if they had enormous amounts of power they would use it to benefit others, and many do. History tells us again and again that the very large majority of single entities with undistributed power end up using their might for personal gain. So now we come to today’s topic. With all we know about power and people, why does Superman not abuse it? Simple. Superman isn’t human.

         You cannot make assumptions centered on the human experience and apply it to beings that are not human. Superman may have the mentality of a human being, however the assumptions of power that we invision does not account for heat vision. What we can learn about the characteristics that we apply to those who wield power is that we expect those to wield power abuse it in some way. In short, we expect the worst from others. What does that tell us about human nature? Are humans naturally selfish, and violent? As we start to boil this down it becomes a question of nature? Even though Superman isn’t human he was brought up by humble farmers who a instilled a strong sense of morality in Kal-el.

       So you have this powerful superhero who saves the world on a daily basis and strives to be the shining light of morality. So why does he hide behind a persona and pretend to be news reporter? Does Superman want to be human, is he jealous of human mortality? Why not fight and do good 24/7? It’s because life is a battle between good and evil. Light and shadow. None can exist without the other and Superman knows that, but superman believes as long as there is something to protect its worth fighting for. 

Previous installment can be found: http://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2015/11/nicholas-fulford-8-tr-superman-god.html

Art: http://comicsalliance.com/files/2011/08/tumblrlhukupn3br1qhzw4ao1500.jpg

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phwHEE-Zz_A

Contained useful information: Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series : Superman and Philosophy : What Would the Man of Steel Do by Irwin, William, White, Mark D.