In this episode, Dara is inspired by Denis Villeneuve’s Bladerunner 2049 to go on a wide-ranging exploration of identity, consciousness and origin. He wonders if the leaders of Big Tech inspired Jared Leto’s portrayal of the designer in the Villeneuve movie before asking what level of thought and feeling is possible for AI entities.
A related digression leads to a heavyweight boxer’s grandiosity which in turn leads to one of Shakespeare’s great villainesses who Dara argues is a template for objectified misogyny. Returning to the broader theme of identity, ideas of meaning, fulfilment, purpose and completion are discussed before raising the question of how our perception of our limitations is a source of pain.
The quest for belonging is looked at in the context of other fictional creations – Pinocchio, David from Spielberg’s A.I. and Frankenstein’s monster – which Dara sees as involving profound vulnerability. He concludes with a wellness argument for becoming a parent to oneself.
The ClearOut.com piece on unburdening our psychic load and giving ourselves peace: https://theclearout.com/2019/11/01/good-enough/