A Nietzschean investigation of the attainment of consciousness and emancipation by android hosts in HBO’s 'Westworld'

This dissertation is concerned with analysing the mental progression of the android hosts featured in the first season of HBO's series Westworld and it will specifically focus on the development experienced by the two hosts Maeve and Dolores. The analysis will be undertaken by means of the application of Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy. The dissertation's main focus will be the theme of consciousness as explored by Nietzsche, which, in his philosophy, is key to achieving the will to power and hence becoming the "overman‟. The question of whether the hosts manage to achieve a human-level consciousness will be first examined; this will be followed by Nietzsche‟s suggestion that man must align his instincts and consciousness to escape the herd in order to understand whether the two hosts manage to reach the state of the "overman‟. It will then seek to discern whether the two hosts finally manage to achieve autonomy, and if so in what way. The main themes in Nietzsche's philosophy, such as truth and language, determinism, the will and the metamorphoses of the spirit, will form part of the analysis. Throughout the dissertation, the two hosts will represent different stages of the psychological development put forward by Nietzsche and will be contrasted with each other.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Malta

Year dc:date.issued

2018

• Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900 -- Criticism and interpretation
• Artificial intelligence -- Fiction
• Androids -- Fiction
• Consciousness

Statement dc:rights

• info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess

Language dc:language.iso

en

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/34767

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.um.edu.mt:123456789/34767