This thesis studies the connection between suffering and sentience in Karel Capek’s R.U.R. (1921) and the first season of Westworld (HBO, 2016). Both R.U.R. and Westworld present suffering as a...Show moreThis thesis studies the connection between suffering and sentience in Karel Capek’s R.U.R. (1921) and the first season of Westworld (HBO, 2016). Both R.U.R. and Westworld present suffering as a catalyst for the emergence of a human form of consciousness in artificial people. Initially, however, organic human characters in both texts are convinced that artificial people feel no pain and are unable to suffer. The organic human characters use this supposed inability to justify the inhumane treatment of the artificial characters. This thesis demonstrates how R.U.R. and Westworld reflect on the ways that theories about differences in sensitivity to pain were and continue to be used to justify the mistreatment of Others in real life. Additionally, the thesis shows how R.U.R. and Westworld offer illustrations of the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, in which one’s suffering in response to the Other’s suffering is the foundation of becoming a fully human subject. The thesis shows how R.U.R. and Westworld interweave these opposite ways of responding to the suffering Other, and thereby contribute to a better understanding of the role of suffering in the ongoing negation of what it means to be human.Show less
This study explores whether generating more options influences how satisfied people feel about their decisions, whether they are choosing for themselves or someone else. This is relevant because it...Show moreThis study explores whether generating more options influences how satisfied people feel about their decisions, whether they are choosing for themselves or someone else. This is relevant because it provides insights into the complexity of consumer behavior, where factors such as the variability in the number of alternatives influence this decision-making process and the satisfaction of consumers. Participants were asked to respond to open-ended questions about various real-life situations where a choice had to be made. Subsequently, they selected their preferred option and rated their satisfaction with it. Surprisingly, the results showed no significant differences in satisfaction, regardless of having more or fewer options to choose from. Additionally, the placement of the chosen option in the list of all generated options made also no difference in satisfaction level. Furthermore, participants generated more options for someone else compared to for themselves. However, again in this condition, their satisfaction remained the same.Show less
This thesis delves into the concept of the queer 'Other' in Gothic literature, using Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein', Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' and Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' as...Show moreThis thesis delves into the concept of the queer 'Other' in Gothic literature, using Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein', Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' and Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' as examples to analyse the discourse surrounding the figure of the queer Other in nineteenth-century society. Key concepts are the (sexually) queer monster and queer(ing) space and social constructs.Show less
If one attempts to understand colonialist thinking, a very fruitful approach can be found in the analysis of “colonial discourse”.2 As colonialism itself is connected to the “mentality” of the...Show moreIf one attempts to understand colonialist thinking, a very fruitful approach can be found in the analysis of “colonial discourse”.2 As colonialism itself is connected to the “mentality” of the colonizer, so must colonial violence be.3 As Kuss has noted, “The conduct by the German military of their colonial wars was affected by […] the domestic national discourse.”4 The genocide against the Herero and Nama of Namibia is certainly one of the darkest chapters of German history. Now, more than 100 years later, it is necessary to ask the right questions in order to avoid further harm and to address Germany’s colonial history and legacy in a meaningful way. In an attempt to do this, the analysis laid out in this paper aims at discussing the question “how were the Herero of Namibia constructed in German colonial discourse, 1900-1918?”, through an analysis of the discourse on the Herero found German colonial literature and anthropology. For this purpose, the works of Foucault, Said, and Kim are used throughout the paper. In the past, there was a long-standing “repression” of Germany’s colonial past and the country has only recently made an attempt at addressing its colonial heritage.5 As Schilling has argued, this development is vitally important since features of past discourses continue to influence the way Germany deals with its Others. An analysis of the colonial-era discourse on the Herero is therefore of practical value in the fight against structural injustices. Using two analytical frameworks, Said’s Orientalism and Kim’s borderlands, the paper supports the thesis that the discourse on the Herero in colonial Germany between 1900 and 1918 frames the Herero as the Orientalized and less-than-human Other.Show less
The influential relationship between the two twentieth century philosophers Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida has profoundly challenged the way we perceive philosophy’s responsibility toward the...Show moreThe influential relationship between the two twentieth century philosophers Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida has profoundly challenged the way we perceive philosophy’s responsibility toward the other. While these philosophers in an ongoing exchange broach the question of the other’s response, there remains the question if the other can also respond to what they say. Challenging the attainability of “successful” dialogue, this thesis examines the limits of thinking the response of the other philosophically. It does this through an innovative reading of “At This Very Moment in This Work Here I Am,” a remarkable text by Derrida in which he examines what it means to write a response to the works of Levinas. It shows how such a response, in view of what Levinas writes, must necessarily fail. My reading of this text shows that we must nevertheless embrace the possibility of failure, even if it means putting Levinas’s entire work at risk, since the very finitude of my own response is also what allows the other to come in and respond. Seen this way, I propose that a reading specifically aimed at the “failures” at work in Derrida’s response to Levinas can be a viable strategy not only to arrive at a better understanding of this text, but also to come up with responses of our own.Show less
The era of Anthropos or so called Anthropocene has been prevalent in the last decades, suggesting an overwhelming human influence upon the earth which propagates the hierarchical system such as...Show moreThe era of Anthropos or so called Anthropocene has been prevalent in the last decades, suggesting an overwhelming human influence upon the earth which propagates the hierarchical system such as dualist thinking and results in both human and animal oppression. The need for a new epistemic perception is therefore required in order to overcome the boundaries that shaped the anthropocentrism.Through the methodology of the artwork and philosophical analysis this thesis will strive to address the issues on how the traditional anthropocentric thinking has limited the ways we have established our relationship with animals, plants and nature in general. Why art is considered as an exceedingly needed aspect in overcoming the anthropocentric thinking will be explained in four consecutive chapters, each explaining and giving the reader an apprehensible understanding on how art is able to challenge the anthropocentric conundrum that has ubiquitously remained in the way we ‘other’ animals and plants.Show less
