Alien and Philosophy: I Infest, Therefore I Am (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)

"Alien and Philosophy: I Infest, Therefore I Am presents a philosophical exploration of the world of Alien, the simultaneously horrifying and thought-provoking sci-fi horror masterpiece, and the film franchise it spawned. -The first book dedicated to exploring the philosophy raised by one of the most successful and influential sci-fi franchises of modern times -Features contributions from an acclaimed team of scholars of philosophy and pop culture, led by highly experienced volume editors -Explores a huge range of topics that include the philosophy of fear, Just Wars, bio-weaponry, feminism and matriarchs, perfect killers, contagion, violation, employee rights and Artificial Intelligence -Includes coverage of H.R. Giger's aesthetics, the literary influences of H.P. Lovecraft, sci-fi and the legacy of Vietnam, and much more!"-- Site de l'éditeur Title Page Copyright Page Contents Contributors: In Space, No One Can Hear Them Scream Introduction: A Word of Warning... Part I Identity and Moral Considerability: “We Made You Because We Could” Chapter 1 “No Man Needs Nothing”: The Possibility of Androids as Lockean Persons in Alien and Prometheus “Well, I guess that’s because I’m a human being, and you’re a robot” “Technological, intellectual, physical...emotional” “The trick, William Potter, is not minding it hurts” “I repeat, all other priorities rescinded” “There is nothing in the desert, and no man needs nothing” Notes Chapter 2 Androids: Artificial Persons or Glorified Toasters? “He was programmed to protect human life” Autonomy “Because pain hurts” Agents and Patients “It’s a robot! A goddamn droid!” Notes Chapter 3 “All Other Priorities Are Rescinded”: The Moral Status of Employees in the Alien Franchise You Will Get What You Deserve Employees are Stakeholders In Space No One Can Hear You Scream This is Rumor Control. Here are the Facts! Notes Part II Ethics: “I Don’t Know Which Species is Worse” Chapter 4 Disposable Assets: Weyland-Yutani’s Special Brew of Business Ethics Greedy as a Space Pig “I work for the Company, but I’m really an OK guy” Special Order 937—Crew Expendable Chapter 5 Corporate Greed and Alien/ation: Marx vs. Weyland-Yutani To Have and to Consume Work: The Alien Plague The Real Enemy: Pure Capitalists The End of History? Notes Chapter 6 The Public and its Alien Problem Alien as Political Dystopia Politics as a Science? Aliens: Transforming the Social into the Economic Hope for the Future Notes Chapter 7 Cross My Heart and Hope to Die: Why Ripley Must Save Newt “My name’s ‘Newt’” “Those two specimens are worth millions to the bioweapons division” Jaws in Space “A survivor” “Standard procedure is to do what the hell they tell you to do” “Why don’t you put her in charge?” “You don’t need me. I’m not a soldier” “Oh, yeah. Sure. With those things running around?” “I don’t want to hear about it, Bishop. She’s alive. There’s still time!” Not Bad, for a [Wo]man Notes Part III Moral Psychology: “Unclouded by Conscience, Remorse, or Delusions of Mortality” Chapter 8 Nuking the Colony to Save It: Colonial Marines and Just Wars When Aliens Stop Being Polite The Burkian Dialogue Still Searching for Answers From Vietnam to Space Easing Back on the APC’s Throttle Notes Chapter 9 Xenomorphs and the Benefits of Exposure to Violence as Education Hadley’s Hope and Plato’s Republic Newt the Apprentice Guardian Newt is Hardened Like an Egg Should Your Child Watch Aliens? Notes Chapter 10 Alien, Alienation, and Alien Nation Alien Alienation Alien Nation Notes Part IV Horror: “They Mostly Come at Night” Chapter 11 Terror from the Stars: Alien as Lovecraftian Horror How to Frighten People Keeping it Real as Aliens Attack Truck Drivers in Space How to Build an Alien Darwin’s Nightmare Real Men Cry in Terror (and So Do Real Women) How to Tell a Horror Story In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream In Lovecraft’s Taloned Footsteps Final Transmission Notes Chapter 12 Art-Horror Environments and the Alien Series Nostromo Infected Corrosion The Brood The Melding Notes Chapter 13 Contagion: Impurity, Mental Illness, and Suicide in Alien3 Infection Madness Death Notes Part V Sex and Gender: “None of Them Have Seen a Woman in Years” Chapter 14 Ellen Ripley: The Rise of the Matriarch Über Mother Of Cat and Girl That Bitch! Resurrection I’m an Alien. And That’s OK. Notes Chapter 15 Is Ellen Ripley a Feminist? “Have you ever been mistaken for a man?” “Yes, I read you. The answer is negative” “Don’t you think you’re safer here with us?” “A lot of innocent people will die...” A Professional, a Mother, and Someone Who Cares Notes Chapter 16 Alien Violation: Male Bodily Integrity in an Equal Opportunity Rape Culture Bodies That Matter Rape Culture Equal Opportunity Offenders Notes Part VI Continental Philosophy: “I’m the Monster’s Mother” Chapter 17 The Alien as Übermensch: Overcoming Morality in Order to Become the Perfect Killer “You still don’t understand what you’re dealing with, do you?” “You know, Burke, I don’t know which species is worse” “For within each seed, there is a promise of a flower, and within each death...there’s always new life” “You are...a beautiful, beautiful, butterfly” Notes Chapter 18 “Why Do You Go On Living?”: Ripley-8 and the Absurd Number 8 A Serious Philosophical Problem I Can Make it All Stop You’re Programmed to Do That? I Rebel—Therefore We Exist Little Hunk of Plastic One Must Imagine Ripley Happy Notes Chapter 19 God Save the Xenomorph Queen: Defending Xenomorph Self-Defense Existentialism is an Alienism A Funny Habit of Shedding His Animality Stubborn Rejection of their Animal Condition Its Structural Perfection is Only Matched by its Autonomy Notes Index EULA