Episode 49: Weird Androids: Ex Machina and Artificial Consciousness

Welcome back, children! Yes, it’s been 3 weeks, and yes it was Crow’s fault, but we’re back, and this week we bring you: Philosophy, neuroscience, and androids! No, not the phones. The humanoid robots that would have been the best human companions if they’d just stop gaining consciousness. HAL 9000, David8, Ava, to name a few. If there’s one thing Sci Fi loves to do, it’s to freak us out. And it often does this by asking the question: what if man-made creatures gained sentience? But what exactly is ‘sentience’? What defines being human? Do we really understand what makes us us enough to pass judgment on creatures we deem unworthy of our respect? In the first of many episodes to come on Androids, Crow discusses the philosophical and neuroscientific aspects of consciousness and how it was examined in, arguably, one of the most popular modern day movies examining human androids: Ex Machina. Intro music: Beeckmans: Hymne for Theremin, Oboe, String Quartet and Piano (2018) - The Alba Septet (Listen to the whole thing on youtube, you'll thank us later). Outro music: Magic Hour by Three Chain Links Social Media Accounts: Instagram: crowandfernsguide TikTok: crow_and_ferns_guide Twitter: @Crow_and_fern Tumblr: CrowandFern Email: [email protected] References: Consciousness explained or described? https://academic.oup.com/nc/article/2022/1/niac001/6523097?searchresult=1#377634645 Scientific American: What Is Consciousness? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-consciousness/ EX MACHINA (2014) EXPLAINED: THE EMPATHY QUESTION https://www.thehaughtyculturist.com/films/ex-machina-2014-themes-analysis-explained A New Explanation for Consciousness https://neurosciencenews.com/consciousness-theory-21571/ Twilight Sleep https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_sleep#:~:text=Twilight%20sleep%20(English%20translation%20of,of%20pain%20management%20during%20childbirth.