(The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series) 1st Edition
by Irwin (Author), David Kyle Johnson (Editor)
A philosophical look at the twisted, high-tech near-future of the sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror, offering a glimpse of the darkest reflections of the human condition in digital technology
Black Mirror―the
Emmy-winning Netflix series that holds up a dark, digital mirror of
speculative technologies to modern society―shows us a high-tech world
where it is all too easy to fall victim to ever-evolving forms of social
control.In Black Mirror and Philosophy, original essays written
by a diverse group of scholars invite you to peer into the void and
explore the philosophical, ethical, and existential dimensions of
Charlie Brooker’s sinister stories. The collection reflects Black Mirror’s
anthology structure by pairing a chapter with every episode in the
show’s five seasons―including an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure
analysis of Bandersnatch―and concludes with general essays that
explore the series’ broader themes. Chapters address questions about
artificial intelligence, virtual reality, surveillance, privacy, love,
death, criminal behavior, and politics, including:
- Have we given social media too much power over our lives?
- Could heaven really, one day, be a place on Earth?
- Should criminal justice and punishment be crowdsourced?
- What rights should a “cookie” have?
Immersive, engaging, and experimental, Black Mirror and Philosophy
navigates the intellectual landscape of Brooker’s morality plays for
the modern world, where humanity’s greatest innovations and darkest
instincts collide.
