Abstract

W.M. Marston introduced the magic lasso in Wonder Woman's origin story: created under the direction of the goddesses Aphrodite and Athena, it compelled anyone bound by it to obey whatever commands they were given. Princess Diana not only had to prove herself champion of the Amazons, but also devoted to the goddesses, to love and wisdom itself, before she was granted this "power to control others". To borrow from the Greek philosopher Plato's allegory: with the lasso, a person can be dragged from the shadowy cave of ignorance into the light of truth and knowledge, whether they want to or not. It's this version of the lasso that this chapter focuses on. The chapter discusses four basic approaches to ethics that make good touchstones for this conversation. Although the Amazons have refined their combat skills over centuries, it is their core ethos to seek, whenever possible, non‐violent methods of preventing harm or addressing a threat.