Severance and Philosophy

Call for Abstracts

Edited by Eric Bronson and Jason T. Eberl

The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series

Please circulate and post widely. Apologies for cross-posting.

To propose ideas for future volumes in the Blackwell series please contact the Series Editor, William Irwin, at williamirwin@kings.edu

Severance is a highly popular and critically acclaimed science-fiction drama about employees of a biotechnology company who volunteer to have a device implanted in their brain that “severs” their consciousness between their personal lives outside of work (“outie”) and their work lives within the lower levels of Lumon (“innie”). This concept raises questions about the nature of consciousness, personhood, and personal identity. Additionally, the show treats the ethics and dynamics of workplace culture and the cultish environment surrounding Lumon’s founder, Kier Eagan. The “mysterious and important” work being done by Macrodata Refinement at Lumon has alluded to the immortal aspirations of transhumanists as well as a life free from physical and emotional pain.

We invite submissions focused on any of the show’s myriad philosophical themes. Contributors of accepted essays will receive an honorarium. Abstracts and subsequent essays should be philosophically substantial but accessible, written to engage the intelligent lay reader.

Possible themes and topics might include, but are not limited to, the following:

Weber’s Disenchantment in the Age of Lumon
Reintegration Procedures: Working from Home and Partying at Work
“Marshmallows are for Team Players”: The Dangers of Groupthink
Pineapples, Balloons, and 4-Ply Toilet Paper: What Should We Get from Our Workplace?
“The Board Will See You Now:” The Ethics of Whistleblowing
Bad “Optics:” Did Irving and Burt Deserve to get Fired?
Josef K. and Helly R: Kafka’s Tragic Absurdity
“F*** you, Mr Milchick!”: What’s More Important to Dylan G. than Waffle Parties?
Data Refinement and the Philosophy of Boredom
“He Never Quite Found His Thing:” Dylan’s Existential Angst
Managing vs. Avoiding Grief: Why Mark’s Severance is so Appealing
“Whitewashing” and Other Big Words Mr. Milchick Might Use
Kier, Helena, and the Ethics of Nepotism
Elon Musk and the Cult of Kier
The Taming of the Four Tempers: Kier and the Protestant Work Ethic
“Chaos’ Whores”: What’s Fueling America’s Self-Help Obsession?
Techno-Capitalist Identities: “The You You Are”
Transhumanist Immortality: Did Bert G and Irving B Die?
Goat People and the Ethics of Cloning
Trusting Our Neighbors: Would You Eat Mrs. Selvig’s Cookies?
Art Therapy: How Irving’s Black Period Might Save the Day
Are Innies More Authentic than their Outies?
Did Mark S Cheat on Helly R with Helena?
Can Dylan’s Wife Love His Innie More than His Outie?
Do Virtues and Vices Transfer between Innies and Outies?