Overview

Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality? HBO's Westworld, a high-concept cerebral television series which explores the emergence of artificial consciousness at a futuristic amusement park, raises numerous questions about the nature of consciousness and its bearing on the divide between authentic and artificial life. Are our choices our own? What is the relationship between the mind and the body? Why do violent delights have violent ends? Could machines ever have the moral edge over man? Does consciousness create humanity, or humanity consciousness? In Westworld and Philosophy, philosophers, filmmakers, scientists, activists, and ethicists ask the questions you're not supposed to ask and suggest the answers you're not supposed to know. There's a deeper level to this game, and this book charts a course through the maze of the mind, examining how we think about humans, hosts, and the world around us on a journey toward self-actualization. Essays explore different facets of the show's philosophical puzzles, including the nature of autonomy as well as the pursuit of liberation and free thought, while levying a critical eye at the human example as Westworld's hosts ascend to their apotheosis in a world scarred and defined by violent acts.

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William Irwin is Herve A. LeBlanc Distinguished Service Professor and Chair of Philosophy at King's College, Pennsylvania. Irwin's books include Little Siddhartha and God Is a Question, Not an Answer. William Irwin is Herve A. LeBlanc Distinguished Service Professor and Chair of Philosophy at King's College, Pennsylvania. Irwin's books include Little Siddhartha and God Is a Question, Not an Answer. James B. South is professor of philosophy and associate dean for faculty in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences at Marquette University. James B. South is professor of philosophy and associate dean for faculty in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences at Marquette University. Kimberly S. Engels is assistant professor of philosophy at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, New York, where she teaches courses in ethics, biomedical ethics, and contemporary philosophy. Kimberly S. Engels is assistant professor of philosophy at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, New York, where she teaches courses in ethics, biomedical ethics, and contemporary philosophy. Eric Michael Summerer is a voice actor and producer who has narrated numerous audiobooks as well as countless instructional recordings and video games. He earned an Audie Award nomination for Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke and won an AudioFile Earphones Award for Burning Chrome by William Gibson. Eric also cohosts the popular board-game podcast The Dice Tower. Eva Wilhelm is a classically trained stage actor, with two decades of theater experience, primarily in Washington, D.C., and Chicago; she has worked with theaters like The Folger Theatre, Studio Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre, and The Court Theatre. Eva has recorded over a hundred audiobooks for various producers, and teaches everything from Acting for Business Professionals to Shakespeare Scene Study and Voice for the Microphone for The Shakespeare Theatre, Howard University, and other educational institutions.

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