Challenge 3
THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR
its relationship to an Evolutionary and Computational Epistemology

Background:

Think about the nature of simulations, models and representations, how they are stacked one upon the other, and how they mediate our knowledge of the world. What we think we know about the world is filtered through many layers: our cultural beliefs and preconceptions, our thoughts, discourse, language and senses. How might we better come to know the world by understanding and utilizing the conceptual implications of computation and evolution? In this challenge I would like you to explore some of the entailments of adopting an evolutionary and computational epistemology, a new scientific theory of knowledge.

Formulate your arguments based on your own knowledge gained outside and inside our class, but I would like you to specifically address the foundational ideas suggested in our:

Focus:

In order to provide you with a focus for your thinking, I would like you to rent and watch the movie THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR and critique it from the perspective of an Evolutionary and Computational Epistemology. You will probably have to watch it more than once. The first time through will acquaint you with what is going on in the plot. Only on the second viewing are you likely to notice the subtleties in the acting and directing. I would like you to analyze and critique one key scene when Douglas Hall and Jane Fuller meet for the first time. I would also like you to critique and analyze the film in its entirety. Film-makers as well as social scientists build representations of the world. What devices did these film-makers use and were their choices successful? I would suggest that you rent and watch it (101 minutes) before we view it in class on Wednesday. That way you may have a more meaningful basis for discussion after class at lunch.

THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR

Click on the image or the title to visit the official Sony Web site.

There you will find:
The 3D Virtual World.
The Basement Philosophers Library.
(the library is a little out of date)
Douglas Hall
Jane Fuller
Hannon Fuller
Whitney
Detective Larry McBain
played by Craig Bierko
played by Gretchen Mol
played by Armin Mueller-Stahl
played by Vincent D'Onofrio
played by Dennis Haysbert

Please address the following suite of quesitons in your essay. Please turn it in on paper and on floppy (as a word.doc).

When Douglas Hall meets Jane Fuller for the first time, in the presence of Detective Larry McBain, there is a short but enigmatic exchange between them:

Please deconstruct Douglas' and Jane's emotional reactions on meeting one another for the first time. What are they thinking and not saying? What is going on unconsciously in their minds? Douglas is seems sincere. Jane appears to little cagey. What are the multiple or hidden meanings behind what they each say?

Considering the entire film and story and what we have come to understand about a computational and evolutionary epistemology:

  1. What do the references to deja-vu and memory leaks have to do with the spring on the baseball game being broken?
  2. How are there differences between the worlds portrayed?
  3. How might Hannon Fuller have come to know the truth in the first place? They never tell us.
  4. Let's assume, for a moment, that we have the technology to do what they say they can do in the film. Allowing the director wide artistic license, are the similarities and differences between ideas in the story and ideas among researchers in strong Artificial Life? These ideas revolve around a computational and evolutionary world view and might include: Are our brains computers? Can computers think? What are the boundaries? Elaborate...

Have fun with this...