Dollhouse

I love sci-fi / philosophy crossovers. Perhaps that's why Dollhouse appeals to me. It's one of those shows that at first appears to be some hot chick exploitation show ( but seriously, Eliza Dushku?) but under the hot girl action, serious issues of personality and being comes into play.

When it all boils down, who are we? Man is more than the sum of his parts, people say. The theme of identity is widespread throughout this series.

A quick synopsis : in the near future, man has learnt to (forcibly) seperate the mind and the body of a person, enabling a person to be stored remotely as an "imprint", and the body to be used as a "doll", albeit in a blank and simple (vegetative) state, a condition known as "tabula rasa", Latin for blank slate. Apt, as these few who undergo this treatment can now be "imprinted" with designer programming, and are rented as high class... Tools. Tools for those with the wealth or power to afford them.

And so, in a clean way that Plato and Descartes can only dream about, the mind and the body are seperated. However, what is it that defines the individual?

We see the characters approach this in multiple ways. Through each way we see a differet perspective on the issue.

We have the agent who is looking for a girl associated with the dollhouse, and identifies her by her appearance. Echo (Eliza Dushku) obviously doesn't agree. She had been imprinted with the imprint of another, so she doesn't believe a word of what the agent says. To the extent that even if she was tortured, she would deny any knowledge, for in her experience, there is no other reality!

We have the son who recognizes his mother, even after she was imprinted onto Echo's body. (She was attending her own funeral, long story.) Is the individual identified by it's behaviour and habits? That's easily disproven. Habits can be learnt and behaviour conditioned. The son could as easily be taken in by a well trained trickster.

Of course, there are those who argue that it is our unique memory and experiences that create an individual. But doesn't the shows premise immediately contradict that? The dollhouse designs dolls with unique skills and habits that are derived from imprints of other peoples' imprints. Using a mix and match approach, each doll could be part Mary, part Jane, part Helen. But which part is uniquely her?

By extension, all of us are mix and match mélanges of each others' personality. How do we know our shared memories are true? By implanting false memories, are we rebuilding ourselves from a far deeper level?

Which part of me says I'm me?

Now, one interesting development pops in, where the dolls evolve and experience some form of self awareness. They remember bits and pieces of their past, and better yet! They remember parts of everyone else they've been! Akin to the bleeding effect in Assassins Creed, they take on the skills and memories of their multiple personalities.

So now, the question is: Is Caroline, who Echo once was, still Caroline now, with fragments of memories of multiple imprints on her?

Debate on that if you will.

Next question: Are you the same you you were yesterday?

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