In Episode 3 of BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, I am joined by one of my absolute favorite human beings, Dr. Ammon Allred, who is also quite literally the only person with whom I feel comfortable recording a conversation about Black Mirror‘s inaugural episode, “The National Anthem.” And, after having recorded said episode, I’m already having second thoughts about that judgment.
If you haven’t seen the episode yet… well… um… go watch it?
TWO IMPORTANT WARNINGS FOR THIS EPISODE:.
First, this episode includes spoilers (as do all of the BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS EPISODES)
Second, this episode contains “adult” content.
(No, that’s not quite right. I should have said:)
Second, this episode contains “explicit” content.
(No, wait, that doesn’t quite describe it, either.)
Second, this episode may include discussions of acts that some will find offensive.
Nope, that won’t do, either. Ok, here it is:
Now, with that out of the way, allow me to introduce my special guest!
Dr. Ammon Allred is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toledo, specializing in Contemporary Continental Philosophy, Aesthetics, and That Crazy Sh*t That You Were Afraid To Say Out Loud.
Ammon describes his own research as “exploring the often undervalued work done by aesthetic judgment and the imagination in philosophical work.”
Ammon is one of the smartest people I know, hands down, and also one of the most humble about his own genius… which, let’s all admit it, is just annoying AF.
Ammon and I met in grad school, so he is also my dear friend of almost 20 years and someone that I literally talk to every day. If I were to write some version of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” it would definitely include a stanza that went imagine we all had an Ammon, it isn’t hard to do…
Nah, if you don’t already have an Ammon, I don’t even know how you could imagine it.
Anyway, enough of this love fest.
You can listen to our whole, sordid conversation about the “National Anthem” below:
Here at BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, we assume that everyone is already committed to read more, write more, think more, and be more… so here’s a helpful list of links to thinkers, technologies, books, and articles referenced in this episode:
- If you’re a fan of Black Mirror, Ammon and Leigh STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you check out the HBO series Years and Years. It’s only one season long (6 episodes) and will Blow. Your. Mind. Here’s the Years and Years home page.
- Definitely follow Ammon on Twitter:@ideasmanphd
- Søren Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling
- Daniel Dennett, Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking
- Consequentialist moral theory
- The Chinese Room Argument
- The Trolley Problem
- The Ticking Time-Bomb Scenario
- Supererogation
- The Role and Powers of the U.K. Prime Minister
- The moral status of (non-human) animals
- Jean-Luc Godard’s film Weekend (1967)
- Pauline Kael’s review of Godard’s Weekend