SciScreen Seminar: RoboCop

After a little break in June to recover from the existential questions that our dear Truman Burbank confronted us with, we’re back in July, bringing with us some new hot stuff: morality and cyborgs.

The word ‘cyborg’ might sound very sci-fi and futuristic, but actually, it is nothing more than a person whose physiological function is aided by or improved with an electronic device. Think of Zac Vawter and his thought-controlled bionic leg, Neil Harbisson and the antenna in his skull (I kid you not) and Rob Spence with his artificial eye camera. Pretty cool stuff, eh? But what about the production of technological savvy implants that can alter a cyborg’s behaviour? What if we aim to improve the world and give cyborgs technological ‘moral enhancements’, for instance to reduce one’s tendency for violence? RoboCop Alex Murphy is an example of such a cyborg: a police officer fused with robotic body parts, which enhance Alex’ physical and cognitive abilities, but also program him to dictate his behaviour. It might sound quite ideal, an officer whose primary goals are a) serve the public trust b) protect the innocent and c) uphold the law. But if his moral intentions are artificially programmed, does that actually lead to true morality?

Bioethicist Dave Boden will discuss the ideas and issues surrounding moral enhancement and moral agency by looking at our prime example of a morally enhanced cyborg, Alex Murphy, after which we will see Alex Murphy live in action on the big screen! Join us for another fun night at the Banshee and see whether your moral values align with moral enhanced cyborgs!