Feb 11

READ:

• Jerry Goodenough, “A Philosopher Goes to the Cinema”

• Notes on Goodenough

MICRO ESSAY: Goodenough maintains that it is possible to understand watching a film as itself engaging in philosophy and he cites two examples: Blade Runner and Last Year at Marienbad. Based on his accounts of what marks these two films as "engaging in philosophy," would he agree that The Truman Show engages in philosophy? Is it a case of film as philosophy, as he terms it?

If you're interested, you can watch Last Year at Marienbad HERE.

Feb 13

WATCH: Blade Runner (There are several versions of the film and it's an interesting exercise to compare versions. You should probably watch either the 1992 director's cut or the 2007 final cut if you can.)

MICRO ESSAY: Goodenough writes of Blade Runner, “Blade Runner does not just make us intellectually aware that the replicants satisfy many possible conditions for personhood. Rather, by sharing this portion of their lives, by seeing their quest for life, the way they relate to each other, by comparing it with Deckard’s job of termination, we must inevitably come to feel for them, anger, fear, lust at one particular point, and, at the end, perhaps a profound pity and admiration. How could anyone not treat these replicants as persons?” Do you agree with him? Why or why not?

Feb 15

Further philosophical reflections on Blade Runner

MICRO ESSAY: There is no micro essay due today. Your first essay is due at the start of class.

Blade Runner is based on a novel by the great science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, who's work has had a profound impact on sci fi cinema. If you're interested, I reviewed several Dick films in the essay "Dick Doesn't Do Heroes." 

Feb 18

Blade Runner Again!

READ: Stephen Mulhall, “Picturing the Human”

MICRO ESSAY: Mulhall’s essay is complicated but it clearly makes a case for Blade Runner as philosophy in action. To make our reading more manageable, I'll assign you to groups and ask you to complete one part of this worksheet for your micro essay.

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As you read through Mulhall's essay, you might take an inventory of some the philosophical themes/questions that Mulhall thinks Blade Runner raises. See if you can identify several of the philosophical issues that Mulhall attributes to this film. Don't worry about understanding them in detail--we'll work on that in class. Just see if you can pick out several of the key philosophical themes/issues that Mulhall locates in the film. If you're interested in Dick and Mulhall, you might be interested in reading my critique of Mulhall's account of film as philosophy: "Mulhall's Missing Dick."

Feb 20

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Feb 22

Today is a general education workday for many faculty and so we will not have class.

RECOMMENDED READING: We've seen that a central component of Blade Runner is the question of the status of the replicants. Blade Runners the use of the Voight-Kampff Test of empathy to distinguish between humans and replicants. The Voight-Kampff Test is analogous to Alan Turing's famous Turing Test for determining whether a machine can think. The Turing Test is just one variation of a series of tests that have been proposed to assess the status of artificially intelligent machines. If you're interested, check out some of the following:

• Alan Turing, “Computing Machinery and Intelligence," Course Readings, pages 77 - 101

• Benjamin Bratton, “Outing A.I.: Beyond the Turing Test,” Course Readings, pages 102 - 109

• Susan Schneider and Edwin Turner, "Is Anyone Home? A Way to Find Out If AI Has Become Self-Aware"

• Robert Sparrow, "The Turing Triage Test"

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Feb 25

It's all about David

WATCH: A.I. Artificial Intelligence

MICRO ESSAY: What do you think about David's status? What does the film "think" about David's status?

Spielberg's film was based on the Brian Aldiss short story "Super Toys Last All Summer Long"

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Feb 27

READ:

• Timothy Dunn, “A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and the Tragic Sense of Life”

• Notes on Dunn's "The Tragic Sense of Life"

MICRO ESSAY: Let's think about the final sequence in A.I. As Timothy Dunn notes, many critics thought it was a gratuitous and sentimental tack-on to the film (more Spielberg than Kubrick). Dunn thinks that the final sequence is important. Why? And do you think it makes a difference if the beings that show up at the end are actually supermecha descendants of David and the other mecha, and not extraterrestrials, as many suppose?

If you're interested, I long ago wrote a review (I think my one and only published movie review) of A.I., which you can read HERE.

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Mar 1

WATCH: Ex Machina

Review: Ex Machina Themes

MICRO ESSAY: You have two options for your micro essay, select one. Option One: What is the status of Ava? Option Two: What does this film say (or following Goodenough and Baggini, show) about the human condition?

ESSAY TWO: Due March 13, Ex Machina