While this shouldn't become the focus of our course, I'm happy to encourage you to explore some ideas about what it means to be dead. Or not. Partly dead. Once dead. Etc.
I think that this undead idea has become such a trendy aspect of our culture right now and as a result is really interesting to apply to your actual beliefs about death and dying. The limitless supply of Zombie media offers some many perspectives it has become as complex as the real issues. People fear death but for some reason fear the living dead even more? what a complex view of afterlife possibilities. I find zombies so interesting as a reflection of the real issues. Talking about zombies may actually lead you to a better understanding of other death issues. So think about whether you are pro zombie or not.
Someone who is not "alive" emotionally would be considered a zombie, by most. I would say this is true, however, I would also add that a zombie is a lifeless creature who isn't in touch with their surroundings. The topic of zombies can also lead to other death discussions and make you think about new/unique ideas you may have never considered before. When I think of "brains in vats" I think of the movie The Matrix where the human race is put into a giant vat. But if you think about it, "brains in vats" makes a good argument for skepticism.
So are end-stage Alzheimer's patients part of the living dead as they're not fully in touch with their surroundings and their "personhood" (higher-brain functionality) is no longer present?
Complicated issues like this make me resort to the biological definition of life. (Made up of (a) cell(s), able to reproduce, grows and develops,etc) Quite frankly I think that zombies are an unfair topic to discuss because how they work is up for debate. If they are infected with some virus that turns them into zombies? Then yes they are alive and have always been alive but definitely not human. Have human corpses been cursed by a gypsy? I don't know, I would need to know how the curse worked if I had to answer that. I'm leaning towards once dead but now alive. Did the curse gave zombies basic instinct to make descisions? (Should I eat this brain or meander around some more?)Are the zombies movement being decided by an ellabrote system of telekinesis? I would like to know how a brain would function in a jar. Would the brain be thinking or knowing without any stimulation? If so, how can we prove it?
Personally, I think that zombies have no real place in a discussion on death and dying because they cannot die, because they are supposedly already dead individuals who have been reanimated to become robots who cannot think or feel.
Don't they have to be able to "think" at least to a certain degree because they have to somehow know they want to eat the rest of us? Whether it is instinctual or not, it would be an impulse that requires some sort processing somewhere within the body (possibly the brain, if it has one?).
I think that the zombie craze has to do with our society's fears of death. Just as we (as humans) fear a lack of control (and thus death and the dying process) so to d we fear what may happen in say, a zombie apocalypse.
We can't deny that the whole zombie apocalypse has been trending for years now, regardless of whether or not it seems to be more prominent now than ever before. In recent months many people are stating that: "AAAH!!! BATH SALTS!!!! IT'S HERE!!! THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE IS HERE!!!" Well No. I don't think so. True, bath salts can certainly screw you up in various ways. But I disagree that bath salts are going to be the cause for the zombie apocalypse, regardless of how frightening the side effects of bath salts may be.
As of last night (Sunday: Dec. 2, 2012) "The Walking Dead" wrapped up this past season and will continue in a couple months. Although I do not follow the show at all, I know a lot of my friends do (never really got into it because I'm behind and don't have to time to catch up). Anyways, it seems to be an extremely popular show that has captivated all zombie fans across the United States. Something I actually can relate to is the video game "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" which is notorious for their "Zombies" game mode which involves fighting waves upon waves of zombies. The best part about the game is that each level you survive, the difficulty it takes to kill zombies as well as the amount of zombies coming after you steadily increases. Another interesting part of the game is that you cannot ever "win" the game. No matter what level you get to (lvl. 50, 100, 150, it doesn't matter) you will never end the match saying "Yay, I made it to level 50, I just won the game." That is not how it works. Endless waves with the potential of killing hundreds, if not thousands, of zombies. *So you are telling me people actually enjoy playing a game in which they never truly win?* That is exactly what I'm saying and I could play it for hours without getting bored. This feeds into this attitude of surviving a zombie apocalypse which as a society we are obsessed with. With all this being said, I do not know if they fit into a discussion within Death and Dying class; it is more of a simple observation about the impact that this zombies idea has on society.
I think that this undead idea has become such a trendy aspect of our culture right now and as a result is really interesting to apply to your actual beliefs about death and dying. The limitless supply of Zombie media offers some many perspectives it has become as complex as the real issues. People fear death but for some reason fear the living dead even more? what a complex view of afterlife possibilities. I find zombies so interesting as a reflection of the real issues. Talking about zombies may actually lead you to a better understanding of other death issues. So think about whether you are pro zombie or not.
ReplyDeleteSomeone who is not "alive" emotionally would be considered a zombie, by most. I would say this is true, however, I would also add that a zombie is a lifeless creature who isn't in touch with their surroundings. The topic of zombies can also lead to other death discussions and make you think about new/unique ideas you may have never considered before.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of "brains in vats" I think of the movie The Matrix where the human race is put into a giant vat. But if you think about it, "brains in vats" makes a good argument for skepticism.
So are end-stage Alzheimer's patients part of the living dead as they're not fully in touch with their surroundings and their "personhood" (higher-brain functionality) is no longer present?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deletehmmmm.. second what andy said.
DeleteComplicated issues like this make me resort to the biological definition of life. (Made up of (a) cell(s), able to reproduce, grows and develops,etc) Quite frankly I think that zombies are an unfair topic to discuss because how they work is up for debate. If they are infected with some virus that turns them into zombies? Then yes they are alive and have always been alive but definitely not human. Have human corpses been cursed by a gypsy? I don't know, I would need to know how the curse worked if I had to answer that. I'm leaning towards once dead but now alive. Did the curse gave zombies basic instinct to make descisions? (Should I eat this brain or meander around some more?)Are the zombies movement being decided by an ellabrote system of telekinesis? I would like to know how a brain would function in a jar. Would the brain be thinking or knowing without any stimulation? If so, how can we prove it?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that zombies have no real place in a discussion on death and dying because they cannot die, because they are supposedly already dead individuals who have been reanimated to become robots who cannot think or feel.
ReplyDeleteDon't they have to be able to "think" at least to a certain degree because they have to somehow know they want to eat the rest of us? Whether it is instinctual or not, it would be an impulse that requires some sort processing somewhere within the body (possibly the brain, if it has one?).
DeleteI think that the zombie craze has to do with our society's fears of death. Just as we (as humans) fear a lack of control (and thus death and the dying process) so to d we fear what may happen in say, a zombie apocalypse.
ReplyDeleteWe can't deny that the whole zombie apocalypse has been trending for years now, regardless of whether or not it seems to be more prominent now than ever before. In recent months many people are stating that: "AAAH!!! BATH SALTS!!!! IT'S HERE!!! THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE IS HERE!!!" Well No. I don't think so. True, bath salts can certainly screw you up in various ways. But I disagree that bath salts are going to be the cause for the zombie apocalypse, regardless of how frightening the side effects of bath salts may be.
ReplyDeleteAs of last night (Sunday: Dec. 2, 2012) "The Walking Dead" wrapped up this past season and will continue in a couple months. Although I do not follow the show at all, I know a lot of my friends do (never really got into it because I'm behind and don't have to time to catch up). Anyways, it seems to be an extremely popular show that has captivated all zombie fans across the United States.
ReplyDeleteSomething I actually can relate to is the video game "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" which is notorious for their "Zombies" game mode which involves fighting waves upon waves of zombies. The best part about the game is that each level you survive, the difficulty it takes to kill zombies as well as the amount of zombies coming after you steadily increases. Another interesting part of the game is that you cannot ever "win" the game. No matter what level you get to (lvl. 50, 100, 150, it doesn't matter) you will never end the match saying "Yay, I made it to level 50, I just won the game." That is not how it works. Endless waves with the potential of killing hundreds, if not thousands, of zombies.
*So you are telling me people actually enjoy playing a game in which they never truly win?*
That is exactly what I'm saying and I could play it for hours without getting bored. This feeds into this attitude of surviving a zombie apocalypse which as a society we are obsessed with. With all this being said, I do not know if they fit into a discussion within Death and Dying class; it is more of a simple observation about the impact that this zombies idea has on society.