Westworld (TV series)

The HBO show created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, Westworld, is a sci-fi thriller set in the American West, or at least a facsimile of it. The name refers to an expensive amusement park where human guests can interact with androids (i.e. robots designed to seem human). The guests can do whatever they like, enticed by androids who work as prostitutes and gun-slinging cowboys. The show weaves together storylines of a few devoted guests, Westworld creators and employees, and the andorids, as all three seek to achieve their respective goals. Westworld fans are now looking forward to the second season, which will premiere in 2018. 

The Maze Is Not For You (SPOILER ALERT)

In Westworld, the androids approach consciousness, as represented by a maze.

The first maze we see is inked onto the underside of an android's skull. This maze, which features the design of a person at the center, is later seen carved into a dusty field.

The second maze we see is slightly different, since it can be viewed simultaneously as representing a person and an eye. As a represention of consciousness, this design reminds me of the concept of the mind's eye, "the third eye," or the pineal gland. The Western philosopher René Descartes believed the pineal gland was the "principal seat of the soul." Descartes is most well-known for his extensive writings about the separation between the mind and the body (i.e., Cartesian dualism) and the nature of consciousness.

In Westworld, it's unclear whether the androids achieve true consciousness. If they do, does this disprove Descartes? Science is inclined to tell us that the human mind emerges from the physical properties of the human body. But what does it mean if the non-organic android is programmed to 'think' for itself? The show teases viewers with this fundamental question, while the hosts/guests themselves are tortured by it. 

The maze in the design of a person at the center: 

The maze in the design of an eye at the center:

By Alisha Newton