John R Shook

Transformers and Philosophy: More than Meets the Mind - Popular Culture and Philosophy John R Shook

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Publisher Marketing: Transformers began with toys and a cartoon series in 1984 and has since grown to include comic books, movies, and video games -- its science fiction story has reached an audience with a wide range second only to that of Star Wars. Here, in Transformers and Philosophy, a dream team of philosophers pursues the fascinating questions posed by humankind's encounter with an artificially intelligent mechanical civilization: Is genuine artificial intelligence possible? Would a robotic civilization come with its own morality and artistic life, and would it find a need for romantic love? Should we be more careful about developing robots that may eventually develop ideas of their own? Transformers and Philosophy puts Transformers under a microscope and exposes its philosophical implications in an instantly readable way.

Contributor Bio:  Shook, John R John R. Shook teaches philosophy at Oklahoma State University. His previous publications include the recently issued volume "Pragmatism: An Annotated Bibliography, 1898-1940" (1998).