How cognitive science is portrayed in film, and what is accurate and inaccurate in their portrayals.

1. CGSC 1001
Mysteries of the Mind
by Jim Davies
jim@jimdavies.org
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4. HM is the most famous case. Anterograde
amnesia.
Able to learn procedural but not declarative
memories
People who get their hippocampus
lesioned now are warned and can prepare.
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5. The Matrix (1999)
• Dark City (1998)
• The Truman Show (1998)
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6. Virtual reality video
game
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7. Are we living in a
simulation? How
could we ever tell?
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8. Heartbeeps (1981)
• Robots in love
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9. Star Trek: The Next
Generation
• Data
Star Trek: Voyager
• The Doctor
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10. Star Wars Episode II:
Attack of the Clones
(2002)
“Well, if droids could
think, there’d be none
of us here, would
there?” –Obi-Wan
Kenobi
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11. Astro Boy
• Manga (1952)
• TV (1963)
• CGI Film (2009)
Started look of “anime”
Robot superhero
The Japanese are less
scared of AI and robots
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12. The Terminator (1984)
• And many sequels
• Skynet
• Terminators
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13. War Games (1983)
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14. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
HAL 9000: http://youtu.be/HwBmPiOmEGQ
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15.  I, Robot (2004)
• Asimov’s three laws of robotics
 A robot may not injure a human
being or, through inaction, allow a
human being to come to harm.
 A robot must obey the orders
given to it by human beings,
except where such orders would
conflict with the First Law.
 A robot must protect its own
existence as long as such
protection does not conflict with
the First or Second Laws.
 For a short story that shows
the silliness of these laws,
see Cory Doctorow’s short
story, also called “I, Robot.”
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16. The Matrix (again)
See especially The
Animatrix for how
and why robots
rebelled against
humanity
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17. Ethical agents, ethical patients
Pain and suffering
• Identity theory
• funcionalism
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18. Blade Runner (1982)
• Only experts can tell the
difference between
replicants and humans
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19. A.I. Artificial
Intelligence (2001)
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