Le Regard Libre N° 23 - Jonas Follonier
Westworld, a television series produced by HBO (to whom we owe the worldwide success Game of Thrones), whose first season aired in 2016, is unlike any other series. It doesn't focus on sex or romance, nor on police plots that all look the same. No, above all, it asks philosophical questions.
This futuristic series based on the film Mondwest (1973) features an amusement park staffed by androids, immersing visitors in a Wild West setting. The setting brings viewers face to face with the very present future of robots, and makes them wonder whether they have a conscience, are alive, or whether their emotions are as real as ours or just pseudo-emotions.
The series goes even further: through the character of Ford, the park manager, it invites us to question the idea that we human beings have a conscience. What's more, is there such a thing as a spirit, a soul, or is everything physical, as the proponents of physicalism, a contemporary philosophical doctrine, would have us believe?
In addition to its David Lewis-style theory of possible worlds, Westworld is also reflexive: the park's scriptwriters echo the series' scriptwriters, adding a welcome dimension of self-criticism to this major television genre. For all these reasons, I can only recommend becoming addicted to this event series.
Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com
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