Questions for Discussion
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Thematic Questions:
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Directions
Students should be encouraged to read and annotate the following selections to give them crucial background information over what constitutes "human" or "human rights." |
Some First Looks: Who Is Human?
Creation of Humans: The Ancient Prometheus (YouTube Video)
Creation of Humans: Genesis 2-3
Westworld: "Consciousness Does Not Exist"
"There is no threshold that makes us greater than the sum of our parts. No inflection point at which we become fully alive. We can’t define consciousness because consciousness does not exist. Humans fancy that there’s something special about the way we perceive the world, and yet we live in loops as tight and as closed as the hosts do. Seldom questioning our choices, content for the most part to be told what to do next. No, my friend, you’re not missing anything at all.”
Animals and Emotion: "Denver, the Guilty Dog"
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"I'm Sorry, Dave..."
Directions: Students should be encouraged to read and annotate the following selections to give them crucial background information about the issue of artificial intelligence and what you could call the "Skynet problem" of cyborgs taking over.
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The Betrayal of HAL-9000
CONTEXT: In one of the most famous scenes of Stanley Kubrick's film 2001, the sentient spaceship computer HAL-9000 has learned that it will be deactivated, and has started eliminating the ship's crew. In this scene, astronaut Dave Bowman realizes that HAL is trying to kill him.
"Okay, I Will Destroy Humans": Sophia the Robot
Note: Sophia the Robot has literally done the following as of 2018.
Courtesy of Casey Anderson |
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Henry Fuseli, The Nightmare (Click link for detailed image)
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Caliban and the Creature
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Google Doc: Prospero and Caliban
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Shylock and the Creature
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Google Doc: Shylock and Frankenstein's Creature
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Richard III and the Creature
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Google Doc: Victor's Creature and Shakespeare's King
Text
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Mary Shelley's Journals
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"Tis Hard Indeed for a Mother to Lose Her Child": Mary Shelley's Journal
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