In this 65th episode of the Philosophy Bakes Bread radio show and podcast, Eric Thomas Weber and Anthony Cashio had the pleasure to talk with Dr. James South and Dr. Kimberly Engels about Westworld. We discuss topics including artificial intelligence and storytelling as well as the ethical and political questions that Westworld raises for us.

Kimberly and James are the editors of Westworld and Philosophy, recently published, coinciding with the release of season 2 of the show. Dr. Engels is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Molloy College, where she specializes in Biomedical Ethics and Continental Philosophy. She has a recent paper out in the journal Public Affairs Quarterly on “An Existential Analysis of ‘Stand Your Ground’ Laws.”

Dr. South is Professor of Philosophy and Associate Dean for the Faculty in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences at Marquette University, where he specializes in late-Medieval and Renaissance philosophy, ordinary language philosophy, and philosophy and popular culture. He has edited books like James Bond and Philosophy as well as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy.

Listen for our “You Tell Me!” questions and for some jokes in one of our concluding segments, called “Philosophunnies.” Reach out to us on Facebook @PhilosophyBakesBread and on Twitter @PhilosophyBB; email us at philosophybakesbread@gmail.com; or call and record a voicemail that we play on the show, at 859.257.1849. Philosophy Bakes Bread is a production of the Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA). Check us out online at PhilosophyBakesBread.com and check out SOPHIA at PhilosophersInAmerica.com.

(1 hr 8 mins)

Click here for a list of all the episodes of Philosophy Bakes Bread.

Notes

1. Larry Hauser, “The Chinese Room,” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
2. The Turing Test, a YouTube video by CNET.com.
3. Alan Turing, biography.
4. The Ring of Gyges, explained by the Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization, (P.L.A.T.O.).
5. Cars, the movie’s IMDB page.
6. The “Duck-Rabbit,” alluded to in this episode, refers to something that can be seen in different ways, when we shift our attention or thinking about the image or object.

You Tell Me!

For our future “You Tell Me!” segments, Kimberly posed the following question in this episode:

“How do the themes of Westworld relate to contemporary social movements?”

Let us know what you think! Via Twitter, Facebook, Email, or by commenting here below.