Theology and Westworld (Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture)

"In the first two seasons of the HBO series Westworld, human guests pay exorbitant fees to spend time among cybernetic Hosts--partially sentient AI robots--and live out often violent fantasies. In Theology and Westworld, scholars from a range of disciplines within religious studies examine the profound questions that arise when the narrative of Westworld interacts with the study of religion. From transhumanism and personhood to morality and divinity, this book contributes to, confounds, and challenges ideas that are found in the study of religion and philosophy. Taken together, the chapters further our understanding of what it means to live in a world where the hard questions of human existence are explored through the medium of popular culture."-- Provided by publisher This book explores the provocative religious and philosophical questions that arise in the HBO series Westworld. Utilizing a variety of hermeneutical lenses, the contributors examine themes of personhood, free will, ethics of technology, divine creation, biblical parallels, and other topics.