BioShock and Philosophy

LUKE CUDDY is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, CA. He edited The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy, World of Warcraft and Philosophy, and HALO and Philosophy. An avid guitar player as well as gamer, he continues to annoy his friends with impromptu performances of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." WILLIAM IRWIN (series editor) is Professor of Philosophy at King's College, Wilkes-Barre, PA. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as co-editor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy, and has overseen titles including House and Philosophy, Batman and Philosophy, and Veronica Mars and Philosophy.

• Hacking into This Book (Introduction) viiLuke CuddyPart I Level 1 Research Bonus: Increased Wisdom Capacity 11 BioShock’s Meta‐Narrative: What BioShock Teaches the Gamer about Gaming 3Collin Pointon2 The Value of Art in BioShock: Ayn Rand, Emotion, and Choice 15Jason Rose3 SHODAN vs. the Many: Or, Mind vs. the Body 27Robert M. Mentyka4 “The cage is somber”: A Feminist Understanding of Elizabeth 38Catlyn OrigitanoPart II Tears, Time, and Reality 495 Rapture in a Physical World: Did Andrew Ryan Choose the Impossible? 51James Cook6 Would You Kindly Bring Us the Girl and Wipe Away the Debt: Free Will and Moral Responsibility in BioShock Infinite 58Oliver Laas7 BioShock as Plato’s Cave 69Roger Travis8 BioShock Infinite and Transworld Individuality: Identity across Space and Time 76Charles Joshua Horn9 Shockingly Limited: Escaping Columbia’s God of Necessity 86Scott Squires and James McBainPart III The “Union” and the Sodom Below 9510 “The bindings are there as a safeguard”: Sovereignty and Political Decisions in BioShock Infinite 97Rick Elmore11 Propaganda, Lies, and Bullshit in BioShock’s Rapture 107Rachel McKinnon12 The Vox Populi Group, Marx, and Equal Rights for All 114Tyler DeHaven and Chris HendricksonPart IV The Circus of Values 12713 Infinite Lighthouses, Infinite Stories: BioShock and the Aesthetics of Video Game Storytelling 129László Kajtár14 Have You Ever Been to Rapture?: BioShock as an Introduction to Phenomenology 139Stefan Schevelier15 “Evolve today!”: Human Enhancement Technologies in the BioShock Universe 150Simon Ledder16 Vending Machine Values: Buying Beauty and Morality in BioShock 161Michael J. MunizNotes on Contributors 168Index 173

Select Guide Rating