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Futuristic Societies

Futuristic Societies. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Philip K. Dick, 1968. Philip K. Dick, 1928-1982. Born in Chicago Began writing 1952 Interest in metaphysics and theology Questioning the universe Fictionalizing philosophizer 44 published novels, 121 short stories

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Futuristic Societies

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  1. Futuristic Societies Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Philip K. Dick, 1968

  2. Philip K. Dick, 1928-1982 • Born in Chicago • Began writing 1952 • Interest in metaphysics and theology • Questioning the universe • Fictionalizing philosophizer • 44 published novels, • 121 short stories • Blade runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly

  3. The Apocalypse? • What is behind our appetite for doomsday visions? • Are we confronting deep-seated species-wide fear? • Can’t we wait for the end of the world? • Philosophy & Culture • The Road , 2006, Cormac McCarthy. • It is a post-apocalyptic tale of a journey taken by a father and his young son over a period of several months, across a landscape blasted by an unnamed cataclysm that destroyed all civilization and, apparently, almost all life on earth.

  4. Android? • An android is a robot or synthetic organism designed to look and act like a human. • Largely within the domain of science fiction • Frequently seen in film and television.

  5. Android • Honda and several other corporations and private enterprises have developed impressive androids • A long way to go to make them fully human like.

  6. c-3po Star Wars – Luke Skywalker and c-3po

  7. Humanity • What constitutes the quality of being human? • What role does nature play for humans? • Destruction of the world as we know it • Insanity of humans • Non-comprehension of their insanity

  8. Artifice • Artificial humans • Artificial animals • Self-extermination • Empathy – group fusion / moral choices • Move to Mars!

  9. Social Body • Michel Foucault:“the idea of a social body constituted by the universality of wills” is a great fantasy • the “phenomenon of the social body is the effect not of a consensus but of the materiality of power operating on the very bodies of individuals.” • Earth has created a hierarchy of power

  10. Hope? • The “Specials” • Empathy – social structure • Rational hope? • Religious hope? • Nature • Kipple

  11. Rick Deckard, Bounty Hunter • Married to Iran • No children, but an artificial sheep • Identity linked to destroyed nature • Creation of a subject-identity ~ possession of power over an animal (nature) • Fake nature  fake identity  grey zone between human and android • Android are indistinguishable from humans  empathy test

  12. Westworld • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFmKvY6PN2M • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAy8YnKvHQ4 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQVWP8fP5To

  13. Identity-crisis • Power hierarchy • Annual, decisive personality tests • Buster Friendly • Mercer • Survival of the fittest • Central irony

  14. Fulfillment & Humanity? • Empathy and fusion • Human = non-android • Empathy solely towards other humans • Doubt creates a dilemma  despair and resignation • Inter-subjective identity formation as key to humanity • The empathy box

  15. Aliens? • Marital relationships ~ Rachel Rosen • Reconciling the diminishing distinction between humans and androids • Mercer: “the basic condition of life to be required to violate your own identity” • Enlightenment – The Tomb World

  16. Mercerism • Religion called Mercerism • Establish ethical, moral norms of behavior • Create empathetic fusion • Shame / blushing reaction • Mercer, the person ~ Jesus? • Repetitive cycle – no forward momentum • Opposed to Kierkegaard – the individual + God

  17. Humans and Animals • Squirrels • Sisyphus • Mankind’s inherent stupidity • Wrong choices • Hopelessness • Collective path to doom • Self-destruction / Existential angst

  18. Blade Runner, 1982 • http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/blade-runner-clip-6-01-05-20-01-09-52/ea4f37468b36c6e25403ea4f37468b36c6e25403-502698673628?q=blade+runner+video+clips&FROM=LKVR5&GT1=LKVR5&FORM=LKVR29 • http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=blade+runner+video+clips&qpvt=blade+runner+video+clips&FORM=VDRE#

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