Ben and Tao think therefore they are, getting mindfully and consciously philosophical, in 2015’s subaquatic survival horror existential crisis cultivator, SOMA. The conversation gets as deep as the abyss, with topics covering euthanasia; the nature of human existence, consciousness and digital transcendence; different forms of horror - the horrifying and the horrendous; artificial intelligence, super intelligence, digital taps and the Paperclip Maximizer hypothetical; and the concept of the ‘Human Black Box’ to document the last seconds of people’s lives. Plus, Tao becomes the second person to diagnose Ben with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Tao is not a doctor. Caution: a crap ton of story spoilers from early in the pod. They are forecast in advance.
Content Warning: PEGI 15. Swearing, sounds of screaming. Tao’s tap. The horror, the horror…
Clarifications:
SOMA was released on September 22, 2015. It’s a sci-fi horror game from Frictional Games, the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
The name SOMA is not an acronym, it originates from the Greek word σῶμα (soma) which refers to the body, specifically the body as distinct from the mind or the soul.
Robert Nozick was an American philosopher.
The Paperclip Maximizer is a thought experiment described by Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom, author of the book Superintelligence.
Audio extracts:
Windows XP start up and shut down sounds
Upgrade (2018) feat. Logan Marshall Green
The Magnificent Seven theme by Elmer Bernstein performed by Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and Erich Kunzel
The Ricky Gervais Show feat. Stephen Merchant, Ricky Gervais and Karl Pilkington
Nat King Cole - There Will Never Be Another You
The countdown timer from ‘24’
A Real Hero - College & Electric Youth
The Last of Us OST - The Quarantine Zone (20 Years Later) by Gustavo Santaolalla
Céline Dion - All By Myself
Clippy - Office XP launch, 2001
Amnesia: The Dark Descent OST by Mikko Tarmia
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Return of the Obra Dinn OST by Lucas Pope
Outer Wilds - Angler Fish sounds
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Bioshock
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