Do This and You'll Be Fine - exemplary essay

Make a note of the summary in the first paragraph. It is short and sweet. And well written. Don't go on and on in your paper about the plot. Just relate the most important information to introduce your paper.   The paragraphs are well-constructed; there is ample reference to the readings and the films with in-text citations for quotes and paraphrases. Works Cited page at the end of the paper is only those sources you referenced in the paper. It is not a bibliography. That's ALL the sources you used.    Sentences are logical, concise, and clear. Word choice is also good.   NOTE: All film titles should be italicized. Anything that is a whole should be in italics; parts, like articles, are in quotes.    NOTE: Paragraph on What Dreams May Come could be more developed with a bit more explanation. Paragraph on Bicentennial Man is very good. And the reference to the Chinese Room argument is appropriate.    NOTE: The opening quote may not be the best suited to this paragraph. Either choose another quote or conclude the paragraph with a sentence that ties in with it. And then, in that case, it should be the main idea of the discussion about What Dreams May Come. Using that quote would suggest that heaven is what you make it - and Chris found out that his heaven was more beautiful than anything he could have imagined in his life.    Nice job!

 

Reflection Paper #2

                “What some folks call impossible is just stuff they haven't seen before (Bicentennial Man)”. This is true for Chris Nielsen, a doctor whose adventure begins when his life ends. Four years after the death of his children, Chris is killed while assisting the victims of a motor vehicle accident, leading Chris to join his children behind the gates of Heaven. Unable to bear the grief of losing her “soul mate,” Chris’ wife Annie commits suicide and is condemned to an eternity in the terrifying barrens of hell. Upon hearing news of Annie’s death, Chris begins the harrowing mission to rescue Annie from hell; and, through great struggle, Chris is successful in uniting his family in Heaven.

                Chris’ mission to save Annie’s soul from the torment of hell is consistent with the soul theory, a theory of personal identity whose tenet is that the soul continues its existence despite the death of the physical body. To subscribe to this theory is to reject the theory of physicalism, the belief that the death of the body precipitates the death of the soul.  In support of the theory of physicalism, Scottish philosopher David Hume mused, “How contrary to analogy, therefore, to imagine that one single form, seemingly the frailest of any, and subject to the greatest disorders, is immortal and indissoluble (231)”? The physical theory supposes that the soul can not carry on following the death of the body—that “the existence therefore of the one must be dependant on that of the other (Searle, 231)”—so to believe the premise of Chris’ voyage in “What Dreams May Come” is to reject the basic principles of physicalism.

                In Bicentennial Man, it is the nature of the mind, rather than that of the soul, that is examined. Andrew is a robot that exhibits “curiosity, creativity, [and] friendship (Bicentennial Man)”, traits that had never been seen in products of artificial intelligence (or AI). Andrew is at first a mimic, following orders and repeating phrases, but is soon seen swooning to an Opera record, visibly able to feel emotion. But can a series of programs and signals develop the ability to feel? “According to strong AI, the computer is not merely a tool in the study of the mind; rather, the appropriately programmed computer really is a mind, in the sense that computers given the right programs can be literally said to understand and have other cognitive states (Searle, 168)”. Philosopher John Searle attempts to debunk this belief, supposing instead that a computer is like a man locked in a room and forced to translate Chinese; while the translated text would infer that the man has an understanding of Chinese, the man would merely be following “the formal principles without understanding anything (170)”. Searle would not believe it feasible that Andrew has developed a mind, but based on the autonomy and imagination that Andrew exhibits, it is hard to believe that such a creature is any less present of mind than a human being.

                As his perceived mind develops, Andrew replaces his robotic parts with facsimiles of human organs. Andrew is given skin, a heart, and a central nervous system and he understands that while these human parts bring him mortality, he will be able to die alongside the woman that he loves. While Seale believes that, “even getting this close to the operation of the brain is still not sufficient to produce understanding,” Andrew undoubtedly possesses understanding, feelings, and beliefs. Andrew’s feelings motivate him to form a bond with his adopted family’s youngest daughter and eventually to fall in love with her granddaughter. These human emotions draw Andrew to fully realize his humanity, seeking freedom from the servitude of his adopted family. Stating that “millions of people have fought for one idea: freedom (Bicentennial Man)”, Andrew forms a belief in his right to freedom. However, it is only with the passion of his emotion that he is able to act on this quest for liberation. A robot with an idea or belief may not necessarily prove problematic, but with the fuel of emotion, a belief—positive or negative—is given power.

Works Cited

 Bicentennial Man. Prod. Chris Columbus. Dir. Chris Columbus. Perf. Robin Williams, Embeth Davidtz, Sam Neill. 1492 Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation, 1999. DVD.

Hume, David. "On the Immortality of the Soul." 1783. Introducing Philosophy through Film: Key Texts, Discussion, and Film Selections. Ed. Richard A. Fumerton and Diane Jeske. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. 229-32. Print.

Searle, John R. "Minds, Brains, and Programs." 1980. Introducing Philosophy through Film: Key Texts, Discussion, and Film Selections. Ed. Richard A. Fumerton and Diane Jeske. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. 168-74. Print.

What Dreams May Come. Dir. Vincent Ward. Prod. Ronald Bass. By Ronald Bass. Perf. Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding, Annabella Sciorra, and Max Von Sydow. PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, 1998. DVD.