Nananananananananananananana...

That's good, but you lose 4 points because this isn't in the book.
I get one of those every time I write on philosophy in a history essay, and since those 4 points will most likely be the wind that decides how I tilt on the fence in regards to going to college, I have resolved to instead publish this idea here where it won't cause damage.

Anyone who has watched the film The Dark Knight might recall the scene in which Batman apprehends well-meaning civilian vigilantes, leaving tied up them with criminals. In this scene, one vigilante questions Batman about his right to fight crime to which he coldly responds, "I'm not wearing hockey pads".* But really, what separates Batman from the rest of the vigilantes? To understand this question, one must first make certain assumptions that pertain to Gotham City alone, and not other large, corrupt cities like New York. Batman's Gotham City, in particular, is a cynic's paradise (or I guess a cynic's normal world). It is this cynical attitude that Frank Miller, the artist who created the modern Batman, forces his readers and, in effect, the viewers of the film, to come to terms with. In this most cynical sense, Batman makes a valid point. The only real difference is that he utilizes more advanced technology. He lacks any sort of higher purpose. Especially considering the nature of Batman compared to Superman, Batman's gimmick as a superhero is exactly his lack of higher purpose or morality. He just fights crime without trying to establish a higher society.
Ironically, Batman does end up forming a higher society by giving himself a right above the other vigilantes. This irony had many criticize the comic book Batman for promoting a dog-eat-dog fascist society. Interestingly, this same criticism has been thrown at another cynical moralist, the late 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It might just be a coincidence that Nietzsche explicitly addresses such irony in The Will To Power, a compilation of his works made by his sister. Nietzsche argues that just by having power, in this case, technology, one earns the right to move up and define general morality. But the ultimate irony is that one who earned this right would become der Übermensch, the Superman.

*This is where I began to ponder:
http://phamilton.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/batman-as-vigilante/