Transhumanism in popular culture
Transhumanist ideas are slowly making their way into popular culture beyond their staples of science fiction film and TV and various music videos:
Mentions
1990's
- 1990: L.A. Law - "Rollins old law school girlfriend, asks him to represent her suing the state for her constitutional right to be frozen alive for she has an inoperable brain tumor."[1]
- 1996: The Simpsons in 'The Day the Violence Died'[2] references the urban legend[3] that Walt Disney's head was cryonically frozen after his death
- 1997: In "The Springfield Files" it turns out sightings of aliens were in fact Mr Burns having undergone his weekly regime therapies to "cheat death for another week". Burns is also portrayed as a cyborg in a non-cannon episode.
- 1999: Ross from Friends references Vernor Vinge's The Coming Technological Singularity[4][5][6]
2000's
- 2004 - UK surrealist comedy The Mighty Boosh briefly explored the implications of cryonics (incorrectly described as 'cryogenics' in 'Mutants'.[7][8]
- 2006 -2010 - That Mitchell and Webb sound was concerted that our immortal uploaded eternity might only feature existence inside a "giant pig machine"[9]
2010's
- 2010: Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory makes multiple references to living until the singularity such as:
- His short-live used of a Kurzweil-eque telepresence device[10][11]
- In 'The Solder Excursion Diversion' Sheldon expresses his interest in the singularity and desire to to upload his mind into a computer.[12]
I've been such a, a vocal champion of the singularity. But how can I leave my body behind and become one with the Internet when I've never even thrown a toothbrush away?[13]
- 2010: British comedy series That Mitchell and Webb Look features a sketch lamenting the availability of life extension for the next generation[14]
- 2010: British comedy series 'The IT Crowd' features IT uber-geek Moss being jealous when his unpredictable boss gets a bionic hand sooner than him. "Don't worry, Jen, you'll get your wish, just as I one day, I'll get my robot hand."[15][16][17]
- 2010: Buddy-cop parody 'The Other Guys' abruptly stops to ask "Computers! What if, one day, they were in charge?"[18]
- 2011: Mystery series 'Castle' episode 'Head Case' features a murder of a cryonics patient[19] The episode was described by Mike Darwin as "the best cryonics-themed TV programming I’ve ever seen"
- 2015: Master of None S01E04 has a throw away line about The Singularity[20]
- 2015-2017: Silicon Valley is full of references, unsurprising considering it's set in Silicon Valley
- A human cyborg[21]
- A cyborg and possibly uplifted monkey[22]
- Parabiosis and fringe life extension ideas[23]
- Cryonics - The resting place of Peter Gregory's brain[24]
- Gilfoye is concerned for Roko's basilisk, a Ben Goertzel-looking character buils a Sophia-like robot in episode 'Artificial Emotional Intelligence'[25]
- 2017: An episode of Canadian TV series Murdoch Mysteries features a youth elexir called "Pendrimine", with "The promise of eternal youth in just one dose."[26]
- 2017: House of Cards "Chapter 60"[27] has Larry Page-a-like demonstrate an emerging product for digital immortality, of which protagonist Frank Underwood ridicules preferring a future dead in the dirt. It's revealed energy giant Raymond Tusk is signed up for cryonics.
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0624130/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Violence_Died
- ↑ Disney on Ice: Walt's Frosty Afterlife?
- ↑ http://friends.wikia.com/wiki/The_One_Where_Phoebe_Runs
- ↑ ross humans machines
- ↑ Friends -- Interfacing
- ↑ https://mightyboosh.fandom.com/wiki/Mutants
- ↑ -This week - immortality. Can a man live on after his own death? I'd like to think that I will be remembered years after my death. / -What for? / -For the things I say and do. / -For the things you say?! / -Mm. / -Like, "Have you seen my blue trousers?" "Can I have a crisp?" / -There are things I do that you know nothing about. / -What things? / -Once a month, one euro goes out of my account and straight into a charity. Direct debit! / -That's how you'll be remembered? / -Yes. / -For euro generosity(!) / -Among other things. / -I don't need to be remembered cos I'll be in the future. / -How? -Are you aware of cryogenics? / -I've heard people say it. / -Well, I'm having my head frozen and then I'll put in a jar. 12,000 years from now, they'll revivify me and I'll be The Head In The Jar. / They'll wheel me out at ceremonies, consult me like an oracle. / -Why don't you get your whole body frozen? / -That's not the way it works in the future. / - It's just heads, floating about, consulting each other. / -Really? I'll get my hair frozen. Then future generations can get it out and see what's possible. / https://subsaga.com/bbc/comedy/the-mighty-boosh/series-1/2-mutants.html
- ↑ https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook
- ↑ The Big Bang Theory - Sheldon as a Robot
- ↑ http://bigbangtheory.wikia.com/wiki/The_Cruciferous_Vegetable_Amplification
- ↑ https://bigbangtheory.fandom.com/wiki/The_Solder_Excursion_Diversion
- ↑ https://the-big-bang-theory.com/quotes/episode/919/The-Solder-Excursion-Diversion/
- ↑ Mitchell and Webb - Immortal Kids
- ↑ https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=the-it-crowd&episode=s04e03
- ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1676559/
- ↑ IT Crowd Robot Hand
- ↑ what if... one day...(the other guys)
- ↑ http://chronopause.com/chronopause.com/index.php/2011/10/06/cryonics-%E2%80%9Ccastle%E2%80%9D/index.html
- ↑ https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/f7e74744-a99b-42b9-8e80-1e571f252b98
- ↑ https://youtu.be/E3kP2A80KIw?t=72
- ↑ https://www.ted.com/talks/miguel_nicolelis_a_monkey_that_controls_a_robot_with_its_thoughts_no_really?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=technology
- ↑ HBO’s Silicon Valley perfectly skewers the industry’s lust to live forever
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6245462/
- ↑ http://silicon-valley.wikia.com/wiki/Artificial_Emotional_Intelligence
- ↑ http://murdochmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/From_Murdoch_to_Eternity
- ↑ http://house-of-cards.wikia.com/wiki/Chapter_60