"Disembedded" Buddhism in a Techno-Global Cosmology: The Case of Spike Jonze’s Film Her (2013)
This essay explores the subtle but key influence of Buddhist ideas in Spike Jonze’s highly successful 2013 film Her, which reflects the currents of disembedded Buddhism woven through ostensibly non-Buddhist cultural spaces and texts, engaging with contemporary social concerns. In Her they manifest...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Society for the Study of Global Buddhism
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Journal of Global Buddhism |
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| Online Access: | https://www.globalbuddhism.org/article/view/1993 |
| _version_ | 1811332333448462336 |
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| author | Jesse Barker |
| author_facet | Jesse Barker |
| author_sort | Jesse Barker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This essay explores the subtle but key influence of Buddhist ideas in Spike Jonze’s highly successful 2013 film Her, which reflects the currents of disembedded Buddhism woven through ostensibly non-Buddhist cultural spaces and texts, engaging with contemporary social concerns. In Her they manifest most surprisingly in the character of Samantha, an artificially-intelligent consciousness that transcends the limitations of ego-based thought. Like the Buddha, Samantha has capacities that extend beyond the reach of ordinary humans, and by imagining these extraordinary powers of thought we are provided a glimpse of an absolute reality beyond our experience of the everyday. In this sense Her’s techno-global cosmology parallels miraculous aspects of the Buddha that are embedded in premodern cosmologies.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:34:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-01ad9f9fc4f2454d948da4c5d61c8191 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1527-6457 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:34:48Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Society for the Study of Global Buddhism |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Global Buddhism |
| spelling | doaj.art-01ad9f9fc4f2454d948da4c5d61c81912022-12-22T02:39:28ZengSociety for the Study of Global BuddhismJournal of Global Buddhism1527-64572022-07-0123110.26034/lu.jgb.2022.1993"Disembedded" Buddhism in a Techno-Global Cosmology: The Case of Spike Jonze’s Film Her (2013)Jesse Barker0University of Aberdeen This essay explores the subtle but key influence of Buddhist ideas in Spike Jonze’s highly successful 2013 film Her, which reflects the currents of disembedded Buddhism woven through ostensibly non-Buddhist cultural spaces and texts, engaging with contemporary social concerns. In Her they manifest most surprisingly in the character of Samantha, an artificially-intelligent consciousness that transcends the limitations of ego-based thought. Like the Buddha, Samantha has capacities that extend beyond the reach of ordinary humans, and by imagining these extraordinary powers of thought we are provided a glimpse of an absolute reality beyond our experience of the everyday. In this sense Her’s techno-global cosmology parallels miraculous aspects of the Buddha that are embedded in premodern cosmologies. https://www.globalbuddhism.org/article/view/1993Alan Wattsartificial intelligenceBuddhist cosmologiesBuddhist modernismHerSpike Jonze |
| spellingShingle | Jesse Barker "Disembedded" Buddhism in a Techno-Global Cosmology: The Case of Spike Jonze’s Film Her (2013) Journal of Global Buddhism Alan Watts artificial intelligence Buddhist cosmologies Buddhist modernism Her Spike Jonze |
| title | "Disembedded" Buddhism in a Techno-Global Cosmology: The Case of Spike Jonze’s Film Her (2013) |
| title_full | "Disembedded" Buddhism in a Techno-Global Cosmology: The Case of Spike Jonze’s Film Her (2013) |
| title_fullStr | "Disembedded" Buddhism in a Techno-Global Cosmology: The Case of Spike Jonze’s Film Her (2013) |
| title_full_unstemmed | "Disembedded" Buddhism in a Techno-Global Cosmology: The Case of Spike Jonze’s Film Her (2013) |
| title_short | "Disembedded" Buddhism in a Techno-Global Cosmology: The Case of Spike Jonze’s Film Her (2013) |
| title_sort | disembedded buddhism in a techno global cosmology the case of spike jonze s film her 2013 |
| topic | Alan Watts artificial intelligence Buddhist cosmologies Buddhist modernism Her Spike Jonze |
| url | https://www.globalbuddhism.org/article/view/1993 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jessebarker disembeddedbuddhisminatechnoglobalcosmologythecaseofspikejonzesfilmher2013 |