A fascinating analysis of the psychology behind Westworld.
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In Michael Crichton's 1973 motion picture Westworld, people playing out fantasies find their lives in danger when robots built to entertain start to kill. Today, the HBO television series reframes those questions and fears of technology gone awry in terms of twenty-first century concerns about rapidly evolving AI and the changing nature of what it means to be human. The chapters in this collection, edited by Travis Langley and Wind Goodfriend, explore those issues, offering fans an in-depth psychological exploration of the Westworld universe, including:
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In Michael Crichton's 1973 motion picture Westworld, people playing out fantasies find their lives in danger when robots built to entertain start to kill. Today, the HBO television series reframes those questions and fears of technology gone awry in terms of twenty-first century concerns about rapidly evolving AI and the changing nature of what it means to be human. The chapters in this collection, edited by Travis Langley and Wind Goodfriend, explore those issues, offering fans an in-depth psychological exploration of the Westworld universe, including:
- Why does the Wild West intrigue us?Â
- What is the appeal of live-action role playing?Â
- Will more people wear the white hats or the black?
- When do synthetic people become sentient?
- When is artificial intelligence simply intelligence?
- How far will people go in pursuit of violent delights? Â
