Superman’s Message of Moral Reciprocity
The resonance of the Golden Rule across time and societies is one way that the reciprocity norm, and its signifier, Superman, combine the secular with the sacred.
morality
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ and the Antagonistic Vigilante
Vigilantism is central to Daredevil: Born Again, but what does our fascination with the antagonistic vigilante reveal about us?
The Penguin’s Means, Ends, and Morality
‘The Penguin’ compels us to interrogate our morality: do we treat others in our lives only as means to an end?
Deadwood’s Moral Optimism
Individualism was not the dominant force on the American frontier, as most Westerns would have you believe. Deadwood explores the era’s cooperation and moral optimism.
What We Can Learn From a Simple Tale About a Donkey, ‘Au Hasard Balthazar’
As we see in Au Hasard Balthzazr, director Robert Bresson is no world-hater or sanctimonious moralizer. His spirituality is inseparable from his reverence for the material world.
![Game of Throne’s Daenerys Targaryen Is Niccolò Machiavelli’s Perfect Princ[ess]](https://www.popmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/img-17474.jpg.webp)
Game of Throne’s Daenerys Targaryen Is Niccolò Machiavelli’s Perfect Princ[ess]
If Niccolò Machiavelli were alive today he would enjoy the politically-charged and fantastical world of Game of Thrones, particularly the moral struggles of Daenerys Targaryen.
‘Westworld’ Ponders the Lives of NPCs
Westworld seems less interested in examining traditional protagonists than interrogating the behaviors and abuses of a fictional world's props, its non-player characters.
From Nietzsche to Hegel: Perspectives on Humanity in ‘Dark Souls’
Despite putting on display both the virtues and vices of man, Dark Souls does not make a judgment call about humanity, but rather leaves that up to the player.