Reviews

Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test by

lws924's review

3.0

A relatively fast, easy read. I wish some chapters went a little deeper as I was not familiar with some of the philosophers mentioned (Henri Bergson, for example), but that's pop philosophy for you, I guess. Mild recommendation.

davybaby's review

2.0

I feel a bit misleading listing this as read, but I did, so there you go.

I read the first essay before deciding I didn't want to read it right now. It seemed like there were some interesting topics, but after studying Watchmen in one class and one intensive inquiry, I guess I'm a bit burnt out on overthinking it.

gwimo's review

4.0

The topics range from what is good and evil, what is virtuous, homosexuality, feminism (which, by the way, was actually my favorite argument), political philosophy and the metaphysics of Dr. Manhattan. However, it would seem the two most popular characters these philosophers wrote about were Adrian Veidt (Ozymandias) and Rorschach (the subtitle is, in fact, A Rorschach Test). It's understandable why these two characters are the most famous - if you break down the graphic novel, you'll see the whole thing revolves around the deontology of Rorschach and the utilitarianism of Veidt. Nite Owl is touched upon, being claimed as the most virtuous character in the book. Silk Spectre (the first and second) are really only mentioned as main subjects in one (can you guess the topic?) and only slightly touched on in the other essays, if at all. Dr. Manhattan is another famous character - he gets his own section in the book! - especially when it comes to metaphysics (no surprise there)....read more here...

warwriter's review

3.0

A great introduction to philosophy using icons that I'm familiar with. Some of the essays were rather thick and boring, but others were easily readable and understandable. I have other books in this series (The Office, Battlestar Galactica, Mad Men) and I believe they'll be just as interesting.

keikoya's review

5.0

This is a must read for anyone who is interested in the deeper meanings behind the characters and events in Watchmen. The articles are all intelligently written, but manages to avoid being scholarly or stuffy. Easily one of the best books in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series.

charliemudd's review against another edition

3.0

There were some really good chapters in this book: the one on Nietzsche's Ubermensch was one of the best explanation's of him that I have ever read, and the one on Kierkegaard's theory of humor was excellent. However, the chapter on homosexuality was horrendous. I will try another one from this series -- I already bought House and Philosophy: Everybody Lies so will see how it goes.