Hero in All of Us?

Stephen Clouse is assistant professor of political science and McMaster professor of constitutional studies at Defiance College. Aaron Kushner is teaching assistant professor and director of undergraduate studies at the School of Civic & Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University.

• Introduction: The Nature of a Republican Hero By Stephen Clouse and Aaron KushnerPart I: HeroesChapter 1: Letting the Devil Out: Anger, Mercy, and Justice in Marvel’s Daredevil By Martin ClaarChapter 2: John Brown: American Hero By S. Adam SeagraveChapter 3: Heroes for a Democratic Age: Friendship in Only Murders in the Building By Catherine CraigPart II: Anti-HeroesChapter 4: We Ain’t The Walking Dead By Aaron KushnerChapter 5: Defiant Jazz By Jacob BorosChapter 6: The (Larry) Davidic Anti-Hero: The Problem of Heroism in Sitcoms By Benjamin SlomskiPart III: TyrantsChapter 7: Five (un)Heroic Days at Memorial: Desire, Crisis, and Dubious Democratic Heroism By Trevor ShelleyChapter 8: Madmen in a Boring World: The Boys and a World Without Heroes By Aaron KushnerChapter 9: There is No Justice Unless We Make It: Game of Thrones and Tyranny By Stephen ClouseConclusion By Stephen Clouse and Aaron Kushner

At a time when the comforting and comfortable end-of-history narrative is being upended by a rapid succession of threatened emergencies, crises, and conflicts, and as the twin temptations to totalitarianism and rebellion are on the rise, A Hero in All of Us? offers a much-needed reflection on the meaning and status of heroism in an era of liberal democracy in peril. Through philosophical treatments of contemporary popular culture, this volume pits many of our commitments, longings, and circumstances against each other, putting them to the test, exploring the tensions between egalitarianism and excellence, agency and vulnerability, pride and vanity, justice and revenge, dignity and suffering, duty and interest—further considering the difference between coming to someone’s assistance and assuming authority over them. Formidably applying their thoughts to the realm of the imagination, the combined insights of these intrepid scholars yield a valiant and valuable contribution to the analysis of power’s well-intended uses and regrettable abuses by those who stand apart by standing up and standing out.