While I realize the film may not have quite captured the attention of fans as much as it could, I'll take the opportunity of this DVD release to remind everyone that Green Lantern & Philosophy: No Evil Shall Escape This Book is available as part of the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series. Once again, I'm fortunate enough to have an appearance in it. I love reading these sorts of books, so am equally pleased to get involved with them when they're based on subject matter that I enjoy.
This time my essay is the closing piece, which I'm interpreting as a good thing. Editors likely want the best essays at either the beginning or the end. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)
The essay, "Magic and Science in the Green Lantern Mythos: Clarke's Laws, the Starheart, and Emotional Energy," focuses on the role of science in the Green Lantern storyline ... or, more specifically, the lack of it. Though the Guardians of the Universe (the creators of the Green Lantern Corps and their fancy power rings) are depicted as having accumulated all known scientific knowledge in the universe, they don't actually function at all like scientists, but instead act like a secretive cabal of mystics or gnostics. I also spend a fair amount of time discussing the Starheart, which is the semi-sentient magical energy that the Guardians gathered up and "contained" in the early days of the universe, and which form the basis of the powers for Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott.
It was fun to write the article and to use this great setting to highlight some of the key concepts in science.
So, even if you hated the move, I still recommend that you check out the book.
Related Articles:
- About.com Physics - Thor, Science, Magic, and Shameless Self-Promotion
- BlackGate.com - The Meta-Reality of Fandom
- About.com Physics - What Are Clarke's Laws?
And, of course, you could also buy the Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital copy of the film, if you're into that sort of thing:
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