Pantheon

This episode of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs is discussing the Netflix animated sci-fi series Pantheon. This fantastic and somewhat neglected show is well worth a watch, with its fascinating exploration of Uploaded Intelligence, in which human brains are transferred to the Cloud as digital data.

In our analysis, we consider the nature of personhood and corporeality, and whether the brain is sufficient to recreate the individual. We consider the ideas around corporate ownership of digital entities created from human beings, and the nature of existence in a digital world that is yet ultimately restricted by physical servers. We also question the premise that separating human beings from the physical world would reduce our impact on the planet.

We look into the ethics of cloning, the clone as individual apart from their source DNA, and whether trauma is necessary for achieving human potential. In our discussion of the role of epigenetics we reference the work of Robert Plomin and the case for genetic determinism.

We discuss one of the central questions posed in the show: are Uploaded Intelligences alive, and, if so, what is the ethics of destroying them with a virus? As well as the biological definition of being alive, we consider the emphasis placed on communication and self-presentation in our concepts of personhood. Clare makes reference to the novel The Quiet by Barnaby Martin and its ideas around the nature of communication between humans.

We also critique possible elements of Western suprematism and ableism in the show, as well as the potential for an idea such as UI to create a two tier hierarchy between humans and their uploaded siblings, or an increased likelihood in a novel form of enslavement of UIs by the corporations that host them. We ask whether the positive view of UI creating a world in which UBI has been made possible by the work-potential of UIs is plausible.

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