Fiddler, Michael ORCID: 0000-0002-0695-6770 (2021) “These violent delights have violent ends”: crime, criminality and the state in Westworld. In: Grubb, Jonathan A. and Posick, Chad, (eds.) Crime TV: Streaming Criminology in Popular Culture. New York University Press, New York, pp. 68-81. ISBN 978-1479804368; 978-1479827916 (doi:https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479804368.003.0006)

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Abstract

One paragraph, 3–5 sentences, around 120 words and no more than 200 words In this chapter we will explore the role of the State in relation to crime, criminality and punishment through the lens of the HBO show 'Westworld'. The titular 'Westworld' is populated by human 'guests' and non-human 'hosts'. 'Guests' can rape and murder the 'hosts' with impunity. They perform a 'hedonistic calculus' in evaluating the cost of performing their actions. The guests' acts are not deemed criminal and so they are not subject to punishment. Indeed, this is a lawless space. The Westworld park is in a 'state of nature' or 'war of all against all'. The social contract is void within its confines. This provides us a point of departure to consider the role of sovereign power in protecting and punishing a populace. Likewise, the free will of the guests and the predetermined actions of the hosts, their respective agency and non-agency, also allow us to comment upon the nature of criminality itself.

Item Type:	Book Section
Uncontrolled Keywords:	violence; agency; hedonistic calculus
Subjects:	K Law > K Law (General) P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1990 Broadcasting
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences > School of Law & Criminology (LAC)
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2024 16:15
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/22789

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