What first came to mind when I saw this prompt definitely had to be the mind-body conflict. The connotations of the word 'zombie' carry with it a direct relation with the mind-body conflict as it refers to a functioning body that doesn't require a mind (mindless corpse) in other words the mind doesn't necessarily control the body. Like in the prompt, the people seem to be so engrossed by their phones that their minds seem to be else where and as a result their bodies seem to be making decisions for them ( like walking) instead of the conscience mind. Therefore to an extent I think this prompt helps highlight the conflict between mind and body and the possibility of the body being able to function without the mind.
I instantly saw Karl Marx's dislike towards materialistic qualities upon seeing this prompt! Marx believed strongly that aligning yourself with and obsessing over material possessions alienates you from your social being, something he believed to be the key component of human nature. The prompt suggests a discord between community and isolation, as although these people are walking together- they are solely focused on their own task within the phone in their possession. This suggests an issue of lack of community. Seeing as how we are inherently social creatures according to Karl Marx, this is the worst possible thing that could happen to a society.
I think that this is very relatable to a dualist theory. All of the people's minds and bodies seem to be separate because while their mind is occupied with one thing, their body is still working independently. I think this prompt is very relatable for all of us as we have all been preoccupied with our phones while ignoring our surroundings at some point. An interesting thought that Althea made was that maybe our minds have been replaced by machines. This gives rise to the functionalist question as to weather our brains could simply be replaced. I don't think that they have necessarily been replaced but rather their functions have been eliminated in relation to the outside world. This raises the question that if out minds could be removed from our body, could it still function. We have all been so distracted that we are just walking and next thing you realize you have arrived at your destination, could this be the body functioning while the mind is not? The phones could be turning a textbook thought experiment into a real life one!
Like Zack, I too thought of Marx when I saw this prompt – but I think that he would actually find it to fit with his theory of human nature. Marx stated that “the real nature of man is the totality of human relations”, and so I think that he would offer interesting insights into this so called “zombie apocalypse”. He believed that we had no fixed human nature, and that human nature varies between cultures (which is why he is known as one of the founding fathers of sociology). Further, he believed that the inhabitants of different societies could behave in very different ways. Marx would identify the example shown in the prompt as a typical instance of when one specific society has influenced the nature of its individuals.
I find the title “Here’s your zombie apocalypse” very interesting. The way zombie apocalypses work, I think, is the following: there is a zombie, who begins killing people who in turn become zombies, who then kill people, who in turn... and eventually, a society of zombies, characterized by their totally different behaviour from humans, forms. I think that this title is, according to Marx’s theory of human nature, extremely suitable for this prompt, for what a zombie apocalypse is really describing is a society that develops differently from other societies and thus ends up with different social norms and with inhabitants of a very different nature. Similarly, I think that what this prompt shows is the particular way in which one society has developed in a very unique way and has inhabitants of a unique nature, making it analogous, I think, to a zombie apocalypse. I don’t think there is anything particularly special about this instance however; according to Marx, societies have always developed and shaped their inhabitants in just the way that a zombie apocalypse does, so I think that ‘Here is your zombie apocalypse’ could, at the end of the day, be used to title any image showing the typical behaviour of any society in history.
Yes, I see the link between this prompt and the "movement of society" as Marx puts it. That's a good observation Harsh. The thing that makes this particular image frightening or thought-provoking for me though is the profusion of TECHNOLOGY. This is a hallmark of the 21st century. Not only does it change us as any movement would, but it is leading to a possibly irreversible effect on our minds and brains.
I will give another alternative view on the matter. The prompt is implicit on the role of society in influencing the individual. Social groupings are vital in constructing who we are, this corroborates with Martin Heidegger's notion that one may not be able to simply uproot themselves from society,there exists a symbiotic relationship between the individual and the society in which he exists. This kind of crowd psychology depicted in the image, indicates the massive effects that groupings have. Everyone is robotically dependant on their gadgets, unaware of the environment further showing we are slaves to our possessions. In as much as there is no direct or physical contact among the members in the image, they still do the same thing and move in the same direction. It is as if they do not own the gadgets anymore, rather, the gadgets own them. Thus there is no sense of any individuality. One could go as far as claiming that we do not have an essential self, rather we ape and follow what our community does to solve our immediate needs. This should further induce one to question the meaning of life and what our ultimate purpose on earth is when the apocalypse eventually does come upon us,or will we be nose deep in our phones and even miss out on the end of days?
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ReplyDeleteWhat first came to mind when I saw this prompt definitely had to be the mind-body conflict. The connotations of the word 'zombie' carry with it a direct relation with the mind-body conflict as it refers to a functioning body that doesn't require a mind (mindless corpse) in other words the mind doesn't necessarily control the body. Like in the prompt, the people seem to be so engrossed by their phones that their minds seem to be else where and as a result their bodies seem to be making decisions for them ( like walking) instead of the conscience mind. Therefore to an extent I think this prompt helps highlight the conflict between mind and body and the possibility of the body being able to function without the mind.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if maybe our Minds have been replaced by the Machines. Morbid thought.
DeleteI instantly saw Karl Marx's dislike towards materialistic qualities upon seeing this prompt! Marx believed strongly that aligning yourself with and obsessing over material possessions alienates you from your social being, something he believed to be the key component of human nature. The prompt suggests a discord between community and isolation, as although these people are walking together- they are solely focused on their own task within the phone in their possession. This suggests an issue of lack of community. Seeing as how we are inherently social creatures according to Karl Marx, this is the worst possible thing that could happen to a society.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is very relatable to a dualist theory. All of the people's minds and bodies seem to be separate because while their mind is occupied with one thing, their body is still working independently. I think this prompt is very relatable for all of us as we have all been preoccupied with our phones while ignoring our surroundings at some point. An interesting thought that Althea made was that maybe our minds have been replaced by machines. This gives rise to the functionalist question as to weather our brains could simply be replaced. I don't think that they have necessarily been replaced but rather their functions have been eliminated in relation to the outside world. This raises the question that if out minds could be removed from our body, could it still function. We have all been so distracted that we are just walking and next thing you realize you have arrived at your destination, could this be the body functioning while the mind is not? The phones could be turning a textbook thought experiment into a real life one!
ReplyDeleteLike Zack, I too thought of Marx when I saw this prompt – but I think that he would actually find it to fit with his theory of human nature. Marx stated that “the real nature of man is the totality of human relations”, and so I think that he would offer interesting insights into this so called “zombie apocalypse”. He believed that we had no fixed human nature, and that human nature varies between cultures (which is why he is known as one of the founding fathers of sociology). Further, he believed that the inhabitants of different societies could behave in very different ways. Marx would identify the example shown in the prompt as a typical instance of when one specific society has influenced the nature of its individuals.
ReplyDeleteI find the title “Here’s your zombie apocalypse” very interesting. The way zombie apocalypses work, I think, is the following: there is a zombie, who begins killing people who in turn become zombies, who then kill people, who in turn... and eventually, a society of zombies, characterized by their totally different behaviour from humans, forms. I think that this title is, according to Marx’s theory of human nature, extremely suitable for this prompt, for what a zombie apocalypse is really describing is a society that develops differently from other societies and thus ends up with different social norms and with inhabitants of a very different nature. Similarly, I think that what this prompt shows is the particular way in which one society has developed in a very unique way and has inhabitants of a unique nature, making it analogous, I think, to a zombie apocalypse. I don’t think there is anything particularly special about this instance however; according to Marx, societies have always developed and shaped their inhabitants in just the way that a zombie apocalypse does, so I think that ‘Here is your zombie apocalypse’ could, at the end of the day, be used to title any image showing the typical behaviour of any society in history.
Yes, I see the link between this prompt and the "movement of society" as Marx puts it. That's a good observation Harsh. The thing that makes this particular image frightening or thought-provoking for me though is the profusion of TECHNOLOGY. This is a hallmark of the 21st century. Not only does it change us as any movement would, but it is leading to a possibly irreversible effect on our minds and brains.
DeleteI will give another alternative view on the matter. The prompt is implicit on the role of society in influencing the individual. Social groupings are vital in constructing who we are, this corroborates with Martin Heidegger's notion that one may not be able to simply uproot themselves from society,there exists a symbiotic relationship between the individual and the society in which he exists. This kind of crowd psychology depicted in the image, indicates the massive effects that groupings have. Everyone is robotically dependant on their gadgets, unaware of the environment further showing we are slaves to our possessions. In as much as there is no direct or physical contact among the members in the image, they still do the same thing and move in the same direction. It is as if they do not own the gadgets anymore, rather, the gadgets own them. Thus there is no sense of any individuality. One could go as far as claiming that we do not have an essential self, rather we ape and follow what our community does to solve our immediate needs.
ReplyDeleteThis should further induce one to question the meaning of life and what our ultimate purpose on earth is when the apocalypse eventually does come upon us,or will we be nose deep in our phones and even miss out on the end of days?