Green Lantern and Philosophy by William Irwin & Mark D. White

Author:William Irwin & Mark D. White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Published: 2011-03-18T16:00:00+00:00

Not Quite Star Sapphire

To endorse the idea of relational autonomy is not, however, to suggest that all relationships are good and autonomy-promoting. Feminist philosophers are not Zamarons and do not necessarily think that love will always save the day. Given the reality of problems like domestic violence and child abuse, it is clear that relationships can go horribly awry, and that love alone is not enough to guarantee healthy interactions with other people. Some philosophers of relational autonomy argue that what matters is developing autonomy competency: our ability to reflectively negotiate our values, commitments, and relationships in a way that we can take ownership of.24

Our relationships can be a source of strength, even though they can also make us fragile. During the Sinestro Corps War, Sinestro taunts Kyle with the revelation that Kyle’s mother was killed by Sinestro Corps member Despotellis, a sentient virus, making it yet another death that Kyle must feel responsible for. This revelation, together with Kyle’s sense of guilt, leads to his being taken over by the Parallax entity (which once possessed Hal as well).25 When the entity once again claims Hal, he finds Kyle and reassures him: “For guys like us, overcoming fear is what we do best, but when it comes to guilt, regret . . . loss. Even Green Lanterns struggle with those. But we don’t have to do it alone.”26 Grasping hands, they break free of Parallax (who explodes in a gooey, rather unpleasant way). When Kyle opens up to Hal’s influence in this instance, it makes him stronger and more able to escape the influence of both Parallax and Sinestro. We can see from this example that self-determination is not a matter of escaping outside influence altogether, but a matter of how we work with these influences and how we manage our relationships. Kyle realizes that accepting Hal’s help is better than trying to prove that he can go it alone; it does not detract from his autonomy but rather enhances it.

Relational autonomy differs from some traditional ideas of autonomy in its acknowledgment that our relationships with others can shape who we are even if we would prefer that they didn’t. The revelation that Sinestro is her father, for instance, bothers Soranik Natu, as it risks changing her sense of identity by allying her (even just biologically) with someone she despises. But she can’t undo the fact any more than she can laser Sinestro’s family crest from her cheek.27

Natu’s inability to remove Sinestro’s imprint is analogous to the inability to sever genetic ties with our family members—even ones we may never speak to. Contemporary philosopher and bioethicist Anne Donchin recounts such an example, involving a mother who lies to her estranged daughter about having tested positive for Huntington’s disease, pointing out the difficulty of honoring the mother’s autonomous decision not to tell against the daughter’s right to know about her chances of also developing the disease.28 The two are connected despite their wishes and will need to learn to carefully negotiate their relationship—the daughter ought to learn the truth.

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