Theology and Westworld - Hardcover

by Olivia Belton (Contribution by), Jacob Boss (Contribution by), Tony Degouveia (Contribution by)

In the first two seasons of the HBO series Westworld, human guests pay exorbitant fees to spend time among cybernetic Hosts--partially sentient AI robots--and live out often violent fantasies. In Theology and Westworld, scholars from a range of disciplines within religious studies examine the profound questions that arise when the narrative of Westworld interacts with the study of religion. From transhumanism and personhood to morality and divinity, this book contributes to, confounds, and challenges ideas that are found in the study of religion and philosophy. Taken together, the chapters further our understanding of what it means to live in a world where the hard questions of human existence are explored through the medium of popular culture.

Author Biography

Juli Gittinger (PhD Religious Studies, McGill University) is a lecturer and program coordinator for religion at Georgia College.

Shayna Sheinfeld (PhD Religious Studies, McGill University) is honorary research scholar at the Sheffield Institute of Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies (SIIBS), University of Sheffield.