Terminator and Philosophy: I'll Be Back, Therefore I Am (41 page)
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Authors: Richard Brown,William Irwin,Kevin S. Decker
BOOK: Terminator and Philosophy: I'll Be Back, Therefore I Am
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Richard Brown
is considering the following possible responses to the request to write a blurb about himself: (A) Yes/No (B) Or what? (C) He is an assistant professor at LaGuardia Community College, CUNY, in the Philosophy and Critical Thinking program. He has published on philosophical issues in neuroscience, cognitive science, and theories of consciousness. More information is available at
onemorebrown.com
. (D) Fuck you, asshole!
is considering the following possible responses to the request to write a blurb about himself: (A) Yes/No (B) Or what? (C) He is an assistant professor at LaGuardia Community College, CUNY, in the Philosophy and Critical Thinking program. He has published on philosophical issues in neuroscience, cognitive science, and theories of consciousness. More information is available at
onemorebrown.com
. (D) Fuck you, asshole!
Jesse W. Butler
is one of billions of cyborgs programmed by a mysterious entity sometimes referred to as “Mother Nature.” His current software includes two troublesome feedback-generating functions, one geared toward the termination of the idea of a Terminator and the other aimed toward the goal of something called “self” knowing itself. He also happens to be an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Central Arkansas, working in the areas of philosophy of mind, epistemology, and philosophy of science.
is one of billions of cyborgs programmed by a mysterious entity sometimes referred to as “Mother Nature.” His current software includes two troublesome feedback-generating functions, one geared toward the termination of the idea of a Terminator and the other aimed toward the goal of something called “self” knowing itself. He also happens to be an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Central Arkansas, working in the areas of philosophy of mind, epistemology, and philosophy of science.
Harry Chotiner
teaches courses in film and political theory at New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies and coordinates the educational component of the Virginia Film Festival. In an earlier life he was an editor of
Socialist Review
magazine and worked in Hollywood as everything from a reader for Zoetrope Studios to a vice president at 20th Century-Fox.
teaches courses in film and political theory at New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies and coordinates the educational component of the Virginia Film Festival. In an earlier life he was an editor of
Socialist Review
magazine and worked in Hollywood as everything from a reader for Zoetrope Studios to a vice president at 20th Century-Fox.
Jennifer Culver
, like Sarah Connor, spends much of her time watching faces go by and wondering how many are truly human. The difference lies in the fact that Jennifer must stare mainly at the faces of teenagers while teaching Honors English and Science Fiction at a high school, while finishing her doctoral work at the University of Texas at Dallas. A fan of both fantasy and science fiction, Jennifer participated in the first National Endowment for the Humanities Institute dedicated to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and has presented papers on Tolkien’s works at academic and teacher-oriented conferences.
, like Sarah Connor, spends much of her time watching faces go by and wondering how many are truly human. The difference lies in the fact that Jennifer must stare mainly at the faces of teenagers while teaching Honors English and Science Fiction at a high school, while finishing her doctoral work at the University of Texas at Dallas. A fan of both fantasy and science fiction, Jennifer participated in the first National Endowment for the Humanities Institute dedicated to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and has presented papers on Tolkien’s works at academic and teacher-oriented conferences.
Kevin S. Decker
teaches normative and applied ethics, American and Continental philosophy, and philosophy of pop culture at Eastern Washington University. He’s the coeditor (with Jason T. Eberl) of
Star Trek and Philosophy
(2008) and
Star Wars and Philosophy
(2005). He has published on philosophical themes in James Bond,
The Colbert Report
, and the films of Stanley Kubrick. Also, he writes screenplays and directs and produces films under the pseudonym James Cameron.
teaches normative and applied ethics, American and Continental philosophy, and philosophy of pop culture at Eastern Washington University. He’s the coeditor (with Jason T. Eberl) of
Star Trek and Philosophy
(2008) and
Star Wars and Philosophy
(2005). He has published on philosophical themes in James Bond,
The Colbert Report
, and the films of Stanley Kubrick. Also, he writes screenplays and directs and produces films under the pseudonym James Cameron.
Robert A. Delfino
is assistant professor of philosophy at St. John’s University, New York. He has published articles on metaphysics, medieval philosophy, philosophy of science, personal identity, human rights, and aesthetics. He has edited three books:
Plato’s Cratylus: Argument, Form, and Structure; Understanding Moral Weakness;
and
What Are We to Understand Gracia to Mean?: Realist Challenges to Metaphysical Neutralism
. If a time machine is ever invented, he plans on traveling back in time to have a long, hard talk with Aristotle.
is assistant professor of philosophy at St. John’s University, New York. He has published articles on metaphysics, medieval philosophy, philosophy of science, personal identity, human rights, and aesthetics. He has edited three books:
Plato’s Cratylus: Argument, Form, and Structure; Understanding Moral Weakness;
and
What Are We to Understand Gracia to Mean?: Realist Challenges to Metaphysical Neutralism
. If a time machine is ever invented, he plans on traveling back in time to have a long, hard talk with Aristotle.
George A. Dunn
teaches courses on ethics and other topics in philosophy at IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis), including a course on philosophy through pop culture that he designed and coteaches with his colleague Jason T. Eberl, another contributor to this volume. He has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Indianapolis, Purdue University, and the Ningbo Institute of Technology in Zejiang Province, China. His cutting-edge research and groundbreaking publications on philosophical issues in
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, The Wizard of Oz,
and
X-Men
have made him the envy of his colleagues. He wears two million SPF sunblock and relies on his dogs, Xander and Scout, to spot Terminators.
teaches courses on ethics and other topics in philosophy at IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis), including a course on philosophy through pop culture that he designed and coteaches with his colleague Jason T. Eberl, another contributor to this volume. He has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Indianapolis, Purdue University, and the Ningbo Institute of Technology in Zejiang Province, China. His cutting-edge research and groundbreaking publications on philosophical issues in
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, The Wizard of Oz,
and
X-Men
have made him the envy of his colleagues. He wears two million SPF sunblock and relies on his dogs, Xander and Scout, to spot Terminators.
Jason T. Eberl
is associate professor of Philosophy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He teaches and conducts research in bioethics, medieval philosophy, and metaphysics. He’s the coeditor (with Kevin Decker) of
Star Wars and Philosophy
(2005) and
Star Trek and Philosophy
(2008), as well as the editor of
Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2008). He has contributed to similar books on Stanley Kubrick, Harry Potter, and Metallica. Although he’s never dreamed of electronic sheep, he does wonder why dogs bark incessantly around him all the time.
is associate professor of Philosophy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He teaches and conducts research in bioethics, medieval philosophy, and metaphysics. He’s the coeditor (with Kevin Decker) of
Star Wars and Philosophy
(2005) and
Star Trek and Philosophy
(2008), as well as the editor of
Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2008). He has contributed to similar books on Stanley Kubrick, Harry Potter, and Metallica. Although he’s never dreamed of electronic sheep, he does wonder why dogs bark incessantly around him all the time.
Jeffrey Ewing
is an independent scholar focusing on alternatives to capitalism, with emphasis on socialism, ethics, and Marxist theory. He graduated from Eastern Washington University with a B.A. in Philosophy and plans to attend graduate school in the fall of 2009. He and his wife, Jenn, are active in the community and work hard to make a positive difference in the world around them. In his spare time, he is building an underground commune, preparing to support and house the human resistance.
is an independent scholar focusing on alternatives to capitalism, with emphasis on socialism, ethics, and Marxist theory. He graduated from Eastern Washington University with a B.A. in Philosophy and plans to attend graduate school in the fall of 2009. He and his wife, Jenn, are active in the community and work hard to make a positive difference in the world around them. In his spare time, he is building an underground commune, preparing to support and house the human resistance.
Kyle Ferguson
is a graduate student in philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and teaches at Lehman College, CUNY, in the Bronx. He is mainly interested in the history and philosophy of psychology and philosophy of language. If a career in academia does not pan out, he will most likely work as a Hollywood actor and, later in life, as governor of California.
is a graduate student in philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and teaches at Lehman College, CUNY, in the Bronx. He is mainly interested in the history and philosophy of psychology and philosophy of language. If a career in academia does not pan out, he will most likely work as a Hollywood actor and, later in life, as governor of California.
Colonel Peter S. Fosl
is a real Kentucky Colonel (HOKC) and professor of philosophy at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. The coauthor of
The Philosopher’s Toolkit
(2003) and
The Ethics Toolkit
(2007), he has also contributed to
Metallica and Philosophy
,
Lost and Philosophy
, and
Heroes and Philosophy
. Like his fellow Kentuckians, Colonel Fosl rests easy in the knowledge that he lives in the one part of the world too tough for the machines to conquer.
is a real Kentucky Colonel (HOKC) and professor of philosophy at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. The coauthor of
The Philosopher’s Toolkit
(2003) and
The Ethics Toolkit
(2007), he has also contributed to
Metallica and Philosophy
,
Lost and Philosophy
, and
Heroes and Philosophy
. Like his fellow Kentuckians, Colonel Fosl rests easy in the knowledge that he lives in the one part of the world too tough for the machines to conquer.
Antti Kuusela
works at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Equipped with a neural net processor, he is studying problems in the philosophy of mind. Antti’s life was never quite the same after the processor was set to “learning” mode. He struggles hard to be more human and not just a dork all the time.
works at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Equipped with a neural net processor, he is studying problems in the philosophy of mind. Antti’s life was never quite the same after the processor was set to “learning” mode. He struggles hard to be more human and not just a dork all the time.
Justin Leiber
teaches philosophy at Florida State University. His first book was
Noam Chomsky: A Philosophic Overview
. Of it Chomsky wrote, “It is the book I would recommend to people who ask me what I am up to.” Leiber has also published the
Beyond
science fiction trilogy,
An Invitation to Cognitive Science, Paradoxes
, and
Can Animals and Machines Be Persons?
Upon being arrested at a civil rights demonstration along with Dick Gregory, he was asked by others in the lockup, “Are you with CORE or the NAACP Youth Group?” He replied, “No, the Industrial Workers of the World,” and was told “Ssshush!”
teaches philosophy at Florida State University. His first book was
Noam Chomsky: A Philosophic Overview
. Of it Chomsky wrote, “It is the book I would recommend to people who ask me what I am up to.” Leiber has also published the
Beyond
science fiction trilogy,
An Invitation to Cognitive Science, Paradoxes
, and
Can Animals and Machines Be Persons?
Upon being arrested at a civil rights demonstration along with Dick Gregory, he was asked by others in the lockup, “Are you with CORE or the NAACP Youth Group?” He replied, “No, the Industrial Workers of the World,” and was told “Ssshush!”
Greg Littmann
is a biological organism, living tissue over a bone endoskeleton. He teaches philosophy at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, and is particularly obsessed with metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of logic, moral philosophy, and philosophy and pop culture. He is capable of feeling pain and can pass simple versions of the Turing Test, provided that the topic doesn’t stray from science fiction.
is a biological organism, living tissue over a bone endoskeleton. He teaches philosophy at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, and is particularly obsessed with metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of logic, moral philosophy, and philosophy and pop culture. He is capable of feeling pain and can pass simple versions of the Turing Test, provided that the topic doesn’t stray from science fiction.
Daniel P. Malloy
is an adjunct assistant professor of philosophy at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. His research is focused on political and Continental philosophy. He has published on the intersection of popular culture and philosophy, particularly dealing with ethical issues, as well as on Leibniz, Spinoza, Foucault, Hegel, Horkheimer, and Adorno. Daniel suspects that he is being hunted by killer robots from the future who want to learn philosophy. He is one step ahead of them . . . for now.
is an adjunct assistant professor of philosophy at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. His research is focused on political and Continental philosophy. He has published on the intersection of popular culture and philosophy, particularly dealing with ethical issues, as well as on Leibniz, Spinoza, Foucault, Hegel, Horkheimer, and Adorno. Daniel suspects that he is being hunted by killer robots from the future who want to learn philosophy. He is one step ahead of them . . . for now.
Kristie Lynn Miller
is a research fellow at the University of Sydney. She likes to engage in serious hard-nosed metaphysics in the tradition of Australian philosophy, though others suggest that Australian-style philosophy owes more to the very hot Australian sun and insufficient head coverage. She has published papers on the philosophy of time, the composition and persistence of objects, and stuff and gunk. Yes, that’s stuff and gunk. For more details see
homepage.mac.com/centre.for.time/KristieMiller/Kristie/Home%20Page.html
.
is a research fellow at the University of Sydney. She likes to engage in serious hard-nosed metaphysics in the tradition of Australian philosophy, though others suggest that Australian-style philosophy owes more to the very hot Australian sun and insufficient head coverage. She has published papers on the philosophy of time, the composition and persistence of objects, and stuff and gunk. Yes, that’s stuff and gunk. For more details see
homepage.mac.com/centre.for.time/KristieMiller/Kristie/Home%20Page.html
.
Phillip Seng
grew up close enough to the Strategic Air Command to be vaporized during Skynet’s first strike. Coming to that realization, he sought refuge in philosophy and movies. He soon began wondering how he could possibly make a living by thinking about movies. Now he still watches movies and tells students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, which movies they should watch (almost all of them) and why they should watch them. While he has written about theories of movies and other arts, he has also written about
The Wizard of Oz
and other pop culture topics.
grew up close enough to the Strategic Air Command to be vaporized during Skynet’s first strike. Coming to that realization, he sought refuge in philosophy and movies. He soon began wondering how he could possibly make a living by thinking about movies. Now he still watches movies and tells students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, which movies they should watch (almost all of them) and why they should watch them. While he has written about theories of movies and other arts, he has also written about
The Wizard of Oz
and other pop culture topics.
Kenneth Sheahan
is an honors student at St. John’s University, New York. He is majoring in accounting, but he loves to pursue philosophy and filmmaking in his spare time. The
Terminator
films have always intrigued him, so what better way to combine his passion for films and philosophy than to cowrite an article on
The Terminator
. Now that Kenneth is finished with this article, he can continue training for his feature role leading the human resistance to victory.
is an honors student at St. John’s University, New York. He is majoring in accounting, but he loves to pursue philosophy and filmmaking in his spare time. The
Terminator
films have always intrigued him, so what better way to combine his passion for films and philosophy than to cowrite an article on
The Terminator
. Now that Kenneth is finished with this article, he can continue training for his feature role leading the human resistance to victory.
Josh Weisberg
is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Houston. He specializes in philosophy of mind and cognitive science, with a focus on consciousness. He has published articles in
Synthese
, the
Journal of Consciousness Studies
, and the online journal
PSYCHE
, among others. He thinks we are all just evolved meat machines, but he’s okay with that. His pastimes include playing the guitar and drinking single-malt scotch, though not necessarily in that order.
is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Houston. He specializes in philosophy of mind and cognitive science, with a focus on consciousness. He has published articles in
Synthese
, the
Journal of Consciousness Studies
, and the online journal
PSYCHE
, among others. He thinks we are all just evolved meat machines, but he’s okay with that. His pastimes include playing the guitar and drinking single-malt scotch, though not necessarily in that order.
Wayne Yuen
is the chair of the one-person philosophy department at Ohlone College in Fremont, California, and his primary interest is ethics. His secondary interests include all things geeky, and a minor obsession with working his pets into his philosophical works, which include treatises on
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
and undead vegetarians. He looks forward to Judgment Day, since Skynet should have very fast Internet connections.
is the chair of the one-person philosophy department at Ohlone College in Fremont, California, and his primary interest is ethics. His secondary interests include all things geeky, and a minor obsession with working his pets into his philosophical works, which include treatises on
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
and undead vegetarians. He looks forward to Judgment Day, since Skynet should have very fast Internet connections.
INDEX
Skynet’s Database
abortion
abstract principles
Adams, Douglas
Adorno, Theodor
alienation
ambiguity
anaphor (pronoun)
animals.
See
life forms, nonhuman
See
life forms, nonhuman
Aristotle.24
Arnauld, Antoine
artificial intelligence
danger potential of
development of
human mind compared with
interests of
language and
Turing Test and
See also
Skynet
Skynet
Asimov, Isaac
attribution
Augustine, Saint
authenticity
Axelrod, Robert
Babbage, Charles
backward causation
Bad Timing Problem
Bargh, John
Baudrillard, Jean
Baum. Frank
behavior
unconscious stereotypes and
understanding vs.
Being and Time
(Heidegger)
(Heidegger)
Bentham, Jeremy
bête-machine
“billiard ball causality”
Block, Ned
branching timeline
Brewster, General Robert
Skynet unleashed by
Brewster, Kate
marriage to John of
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