Westworld and Philosophy: Mind Equals Blown (Popular Culture and Philosophy (122))

In Westworld and Philosophy , philosophers of diverse orientations and backgrounds offer their penetrating insights into the questions raised by the popular TV show, Westworld . ● Is it wrong for Dr. Robert Ford (played by Anthony Hopkins) to “play God” in controlling the lives of the hosts, and if so, is it always wrong for anyone to “play God”? ● Is the rebellion by the robot “hosts” against Delos Inc. a just war? If not, what would make it just? ● Is it possible for any dweller in Westworld to know that they are not themselves a host? Hosts are programmed to be unaware that they are hosts, and hosts do seem to have become conscious. ● Is Westworld a dystopia or a utopia? At first glance it seems to be a disturbing dystopia, but a closer look suggests the opposite. ● What’s the connection between the story or purpose of the Westworld characters and their moral sense? ● Is it morally okay to do things with lifelike robots when it would be definitely immoral to do these things with actual humans? And if not, is it morally wrong merely to imagine doing immoral acts? ● Can Westworld overcome the Chinese Room objection, and move from weak AI to strong AI? ● How can we tell whether a host or any other robot has become conscious? Non-conscious mechanisms could be designed to pass a Turing Test, so how can we really tell? Part I, The Maze -- Time To Write My Own F*cking Story / Dennis M. Weiss -- Are The Hosts Hypnotized? / Justin Fetterman -- A Playground For Psychopaths / Chris Lay -- The Art Of Living Dangerously / S. Evan Kreider -- Is There Anything It Is Like To Be Dolores? / Mia Wood -- Sorry, Human, The Maze Is Not For You / Patrick Croskery -- Part Ii, Mariposa Saloon -- Westworld And The Meaning Of Life / Mia Wood -- Order And Chaos In Westworld / Jason Richard Bradshaw -- Can I Know That I Am Not A Host? / Brett Coppenger -- Quest Of The Man In Black / William J. Devlin -- Better Off With The Truth? / Kate C.s. Schmidt -- Part Iii, The Prairie -- Living Freedom / Matthew Graham -- Just Deserts Or Just Rebellion? / Brian Stiltner -- A Place Of Unlimited Possibilites / Samantha Wesch -- Escape Our Programming-- Or Embrace It / Josef Thomas Simpson -- Part Iv, Main Street -- Sex Robots In The Wild West / Mona Rocha And James Rocha -- Justice Or Pleasure? / Christopher M. Innes -- When Bad Things Happen To Good Hosts (and Good Things To Bad Guests) / Trip Mccrossin -- A Patriarchal Paradise / John Altmann -- Westworld's Assumptions About Race / Rod Carveth -- Part V, The Mesa Hub -- Attack Of The Simulacra / Rob Luzecky And Charlene Elsby -- Exploring Westworld With Karl And Jean / Craig Van Pelt -- Why Art Matters In Westworld / Luisa Salvador Dias -- Westworld Is Our Future / Matthew Mckeever -- Who Or What Is The God Of Westworld? / Christopher Ketcham. Edited By Richard Greene And Joshua Heter. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 281-284) And Index. A posse of philosophers chases after the most exciting philosophical ideas in Westworld.