Matt and Dave encounter the aftermath of an apocalypse and the endeavours of a robot artificial intelligence to repopulate the Earth. But all is not as it seems for the young girl at the centre of events. Swerving the ethical dilemma of the trolley problem – explored within the film – we hurtle straight for Kant and the possibility of universal morality. We also touch upon the lifetime of a civilisation within the Drake equation, as well as the lies of Plato’s Republic.
Released 13 February 2021 | 37 min
SEASON 1 : WINTER 2021 > EPISODE 2 : I AM MOTHER (2019)
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DEEPER DIVES & CONTINGENT TANGENTS?
> For more on Kant and universal morality see Matt’s recent article for The Conversation: ‘Coronavirus: what philosopher Immanuel Kant can teach us about panic buying and isolation dodging’.
> There is a neat overview of Kant’s Moral Theory on The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP).
> Also on IEP, stuff on Plato’s Republic.
> To explore the Trolley problem which appears in the film, the Wikipedia article is spot on.
> Head over to Britannica for Brechtian distancing and the alienation effect.
> The NASA website has a cool article on the basics of the Drake equation.
> Dave mentions some comments by Jared Diamond on the Drake equation. That is in reference to this interview from the brilliant Closer to Truth series hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn.
> Back to Wikipedia for Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics.
> The mention of ‘in medias res’ and ‘in mediis rebus’? See ‘Epic Immersion, Part 1’ at Play the Past.
> Matt’s hidden quote of ‘Fitter, happier, more productive’? It’s that weird Radiohead track from OK Computer (1997).
ERRATA
No doubt we have made any number of errors, blunders, and boo-boos. We didn’t notice any we left in the edit this episode… but if you spot any, let us know!