Vampire killer sports a woman’s philosophy

ORONO – Fans of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” may think the show’s blond executioner of demons, werewolves and vampires is just another violent vixen who swings her sword and asks questions later. They would be wrong, according to an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Maine.

Buffy is Sunnydale’s ethical anchor, according to Jessica Miller, who teaches classes on philosophy, gender issues and ethics. She has been asked to contribute an essay to the book “Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy.”

Miller will present a portion of her essay, “Buffy and Feminist Ethics,” at 12:15 p.m. today in the Coe Lounge in the Memorial Union at UMaine. The lecture is part of a series sponsored by Women in the Curriculum.

The Buffy book will be the fourth in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series published by Open Court Books of Chicago. The others focused on the TV series “Seinfeld” and “The Simpsons” and the film “The Matrix.”

Through episode plots and the characters’ antics, the books explore the teachings of key philosophers including Aristotle, Karl Marx, Albert Camus, Jean Paul Sartre, Martin Heidegger and Immanuel Kant, according to information on Open Court’s Web site. Contributors tackle issues such as irony and the meaning of life, American anti-intellectualism and existential rebellion.

Miller said that students who come to college straight from high school are familiar with the disciplines of history and English, but few have read any philosophy. She said that Open Court’s books use characters familiar to students in their late teens and early 20s to introduce them to the major philosophers. She uses similar techniques with her students.

“I ask them what movies or TV shows they’ve seen over the weekend and what they think of the decisions the characters made or if they saw elements of a particular philosophy,” she said in a phone interview last week. “Many of my students think ethics and philosophy are irrelevant in their lives, so pop culture serves as a bridge to explore both. It’s important to connect what we’re doing in the classroom to students’ everyday lives.”

Miller’s students have been connecting with Buffy for seven seasons on UPN. Created by Joss Whedon, the show earned a cult following before gaining a wider audience through syndication of the first three seasons’ episodes. Now, Buffy and Whedon are gaining the attention of academics.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy” is one of five anthologies to be published about the show within the next year, said Miller. Organizers of the first international conference on the show scheduled two days for the event and hoped they’d have enough submissions to fill the time slots. The response was so overwhelming, they wound up turning away potential participants.

Despite the scholarly interest, Buffy’s millions of fans see her as a superhero first and a feminist philosopher second.

“Buffy can be compared to other, mostly male, superheroes,” said Miller. “Some similarities are that she’s very strong, highly intelligent and dedicated to fighting evil. But, just in taking on a fight, she’s transgressing stereotypes of femininity. She opens up the image to new interpretations.

“Batgirl, Wonder Woman and the Bionic Woman all had a man behind the scenes that dictated decisions and plans of actions. Buffy is notorious for thwarting the higher-ups. Other women superheroes, like Xenia, derive their power from their sexuality. Buffy is also sexualized – she wore miniskirts and tank tops in the early seasons – but that is separate from her power and moral strength, which isn’t derived from her sexiness.”

Until recently, philosophy has been a field dominated by men and based on a tradition of making decisions similar to the way a judge overseeing a courtroom might, according to Miller. That has included ignoring personal details and past situations, focusing on rationality and excluding emotions. Researchers in the 1980s concluded that women bring a different perspective to moral decision making that includes feelings, context, details, narrative and a focus on maintaining relationships.

“In many ways, Buffy exemplifies that approach,” said Miller. “Back in the third season, Buffy’s friend Willow was dating Oz. When they discovered he was a werewolf there were various proposals presented about what to do, including kill him.

“Buffy resolved the situation in a way that minimized harm and hurt to Oz and the larger community. It was nonviolent and maintained relationships. Every month, when he became a werewolf, they caged him in the high school library.”

Undoubtedly, the scholarly study of Buffy is just beginning, but it’s doubtful she’ll become “Buffy, Feminist Ethicist” anytime soon.