Black Mirror and Philosophy: Dark Reflections

A philosophical look at the twisted, high-tech near-future of the sci-fi anthology series Black 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.In Black 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 reflects Black Mirrors anthology structure by pairing a chapter with every episode in the shows five seasonsincluding an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure analysis of Bandersnatchand 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:

• Have we given social media too much power over our lives?
• Could heaven really, one day, be a place on Earth?
• Should criminal justice and punishment be crowdsourced?
• What rights should a cookie have?

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.