#smithsonianxphilosophy

[smithsonianxsuperheroes]

by Rejana

[smithsonianxsuperheroes]

by TheMattHarding

[smithsonianxsuperheroes]

by HollyOlsen

[smithsonianxsuperheroes]

We kicked off Power and Responsibility: Doing Philosophy with Superheroes with SmithsonianX and the Harvard Extension School this week. For our first issue, we asked our learners about Identities and Worlds. 

As budding superheroes and philosophy experts, we created our own superhero personas or adopted the mindset of a superhero character of our choice. (‘Superheroes’ can be super villains as well!)

When creating superhero personas, we thought about:

Does your superhero wear a mask/costume?

What is their motivation/reasoning behind this?

Does your superhero have dual identities?

Who knows about your superhero’s identity?

What does your superhero do? For example, do they fight crimes?

Come learn about philosophy and superheroes with us on edX.

[smithsonianxsuperheroes]

By jonesnforart

[smithsonianxsuperheroes]

By joel_gonzalez2904

[smithsonianxsuperheroes]

By lucasjam

“Not sure how in-depth to go with this bio, but I do see that superheroes can maintain a secret identity and be "closer" to telling the truth with a few tweaks here or there to the normal tropes. What I find interesting is that idea that if your identity is not secret, it becomes easier to co-opt the hero as working for a specific nation, cause, or entity. It's a bit of a double-edged sword: a secret identity works for an ethical hero who does the right thing, and no secret identity places accountability yet also creates pressure to conform.”

[smithsonianxsuperheroes]

By JuanseMolina