A philosophical look at the twisted, high-tech near-future of the sci-fi anthology seriesBlack Mirror, offering a glimpse of the darkest reflections of the human condition in digital technology

Black Mirrorthe Emmy-winning Netflix series that holds up a dark, digital mirror of speculative technologies to modern societyshows us a high-tech world where it is all too easy to fall victim to ever-evolving forms of social control.InBlack 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 Brookers sinister stories. The collection reflectsBlack Mirrors anthology structure by pairing a chapter with every episode in the shows five seasonsincluding an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure analysis ofBandersnatchand 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:

Immersive, engaging, and experimental,Black Mirror and Philosophy navigates the intellectual landscape of Brookers morality plays for the modern world, where humanitys greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide.

DAVID KYLE JOHNSON is Professor of Philosophy at King's College in Pennsylvania. He is the editor of four books on popular culture and philosophy, includingInception and Philosophy (Wiley Blackwell, 2011), and has written over 20 articles for academic books and journals. He also produces lecture series for The Teaching Company's "The Great Courses," includingSci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy.

Contibutors xi

TheBlack MirrorMultiverse: An Editors Note xxiii

Introduction 1

Black Mirror: What Science Fiction Does Best 3
David Kyle Johnson, with Leander P. Marquez, and Sergio Urueña

Season 1 9

1The National Anthemand Weighing Moral Obligations: Is It Ever OK to F*ck a Pig? 11
Brian J. Collins with Brandon Boesch

2Fifteen Million Meritsand Fighting Capitalism: How Can We Resist? 20
Chris Byron with Matthew Brake

3The Entire History of Youand Knowing Too Much: Should You Want the Grain? 29
Gregor Balke and Bart Engelen

Season 2 39

4Be Right Backand Rejecting Tragedy: Would You Bring Back Your Deceased Loved One? 41
Bradley Richards

5White Bearand Criminal Punishment: How Far is too Far? 50
Sid Simpson with Chris Lay

6The Waldo Momentand Political Discourse: Whats Wrong with Disrespect in Politics? 59
Greg Littmann

The Christmas Special 69

7White Christmasand Technological Restraining Orders: Are Digital Blocks Ethical? 71
Cansu Canca and Laura Haaber Ihle

Season 3 81

8Nosediveand the Anxieties of Social Media: Is the Future Already Here? 83
Sergio Urueña and Nonna Melikyan

9Playtestand the Power of Virtual Reality: Are Our Fears Real? 92
Claire Benn

10Shut Up and Danceand Vigilante Justice: Should We Ever Take the Law into Our Own Hands? 101
Juliele Maria Sievers and Luiz Henrique da Silva Santos

11San Juniperoand the Digital Afterlife: Could Heaven be a Place on Earth? 109
James Cook

12Men Against Fireand Political Manipulation: How Are We Tricked into Dehumanizing Others? 118
Bertha Alvarez Manninen

13Hated in the Nationand #DeathTo: What are the Consequences of Trial by Twitter? 128
Aline Maya

Season 4 141

14USS Callisterand NonPlayer Characters: How Should We Act in Video Games? 143
Russ Hamer with Steven Gubka

15Arkangeland Parental Surveillance: What are a Parents Obligations? 151
Catherine Villanueva Gardner with Alexander Christian

16Crocodileand the Ethics of Self Preservation: How Far is Too Far? 160
Darci Doll

17Hang the DJand Digital Dating: Should We Use Computers to Help Us Find Mates? 168
Skye C. Cleary and Massimo Pigliucci

18Metalheadand Technophobia: How Dangerous Will Robots Be? 177
Scott Midson with Justin Donhauser

19Black Museumand Righting Wrongs: Should We Seek Revenge? 187
Gregory L. Bock, Jeffrey L. Bock, and Kora Smith

Bandersnatch 197

20Bandersnatch:A ChooseYourOwn Philosophical Adventure 199
Chris Lay and David Kyle Johnson

Season 5 239

21Striking Vipersand Closed Doors: How Meaningful Are Sexual Fantasies? 241
Darren M. Slade

22Smithereensand the Economy of Attention: Are We All Dopamine Addicts? 251
Pierluca DAmato

23 Empathy, Emulation and Ashley Too: Can a Robot Be a Friend? 260
George A. Dunn

Black MirrorReflections 271

24 Consciousness Technology inBlack Mirror: Do Cookies Feel Pain? 273
David Gamez with David Kyle Johnson

25 Personal Identity inBlack Mirror: Is Your Cookie You? 282
Molly Gardner and Robert Sloane

26 Death inBlack Mirror: How Should We Deal with Our Mortality? 292
Edwardo Pérez and Sergio Genovesi

27 Love inBlack Mirror: Who Do We Really Love? 301
Robert Grant Price

28 Perception inBlack Mirror: Who Controls What You See? 311
Brian Stiltner and Anna Vaughn

29 The Dangers of Technology inBlack Mirror: A Dialogue between Uploaded Dead Philosophers 320
Ben Springett with Luiz Adriano Borges

Conclusion 333

30 Black Mirror in the Future: Will We Still be Watching? 335
Geoffrey A. Mitelman

Appendix: How to Use This Book in the Classroom 338

Index 340