Luke Cuddy 
BioShock and Philosophy 
Irrational Game, Rational Book

Considered a sign of the ‘coming of age’ of video games
as an artistic medium, the award-winning Bio Shock franchise covers
vast philosophical ground. Bio Shock and Philosophy: Irrational
Game, Rational Book presents expert reflections by
philosophers (and Bioshock connoisseurs) on this critically
acclaimed and immersive fan-favorite.

* Reveals the philosophical questions raised through the artistic
complexity, compelling characters and absorbing plots of this
ground-breaking first-person shooter (FPS)

* Explores what Bio Shock teaches the gamer about gaming,
and the aesthetics of video game storytelling

* Addresses a wide array of topics including Marxism, propaganda,
human enhancement technologies, political decision-making, free
will, morality, feminism, transworld individuality, and vending
machines in the dystopian society of Rapture

* Considers visionary game developer Ken Levine’s depiction
of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, as well as the theories of
Aristotle, de Beauvoir, Dewey, Leibniz, Marx, Plato, and others
from the Hall of Philosophical Heroes

Table of Content

Hacking into This Book (Introduction) vii
Luke Cuddy

Part I Level 1 Research Bonus: Increased Wisdom Capacity 1

1 Bio Shock’s Meta-Narrative: What Bio Shock Teaches the Gamer about Gaming 3
Collin Pointon

2 The Value of Art in Bio Shock: Ayn Rand, Emotion, and Choice 15
Jason Rose

3 SHODAN vs. the Many: Or, Mind vs. the Body 27
Robert M. Mentyka

4 ‘The cage is somber’: A Feminist Understanding of Elizabeth 38
Catlyn Origitano

Part II Tears, Time, and Reality 49

5 Rapture in a Physical World: Did Andrew Ryan Choose the Impossible? 51
James Cook

6 Would You Kindly Bring Us the Girl and Wipe Away the Debt: Free Will and Moral Responsibility in Bio Shock Infinite 58
Oliver Laas

7 Bio Shock as Plato’s Cave 69
Roger Travis

8 Bio Shock Infinite and Transworld Individuality: Identity across Space and Time 76
Charles Joshua Horn

9 Shockingly Limited: Escaping Columbia’s God of Necessity 86
Scott Squires and James Mc Bain

Part III The ‘Union’ and the Sodom Below 95

10 ‘The bindings are there as a safeguard’: Sovereignty and Political Decisions in Bio Shock Infinite 97
Rick Elmore

11 Propaganda, Lies, and Bullshit in Bio Shock’s Rapture 107
Rachel Mc Kinnon

12 The Vox Populi Group, Marx, and Equal Rights for All 114
Tyler De Haven and Chris Hendrickson

Part IV The Circus of Values 127

13 Infinite Lighthouses, Infinite Stories: Bio Shock and the Aesthetics of Video Game Storytelling 129
László Kajtár

14 Have You Ever Been to Rapture?: Bio Shock as an Introduction to Phenomenology 139
Stefan Schevelier

15 ‘Evolve today!’: Human Enhancement Technologies in the Bio Shock Universe 150
Simon Ledder

16 Vending Machine Values: Buying Beauty and Morality in Bio Shock 161
Michael J. Muniz

Notes on Contributors 168

Index 173

About the author

LUKE CUDDY is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, CA. He edited The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy, World of Warcraft and Philosophy, and HALO and Philosophy. An avid guitar player as well as gamer, he continues to annoy his friends with impromptu performances of ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken.’

WILLIAM IRWIN (series editor) is Professor of Philosophy at King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, PA. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as co-editor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy, and has overseen titles including House and Philosophy, Batman and Philosophy, and Veronica Mars and Philosophy.