Feb. 25, 2018 - This is my philosophy and game studies presentation featuring the game, "The Talos Principle" (2014, 2015, 2017)," a first person puzzle game developed by Croteam, and published by Devolver Digital. The presentation explores the ethics of "The Talos Principle" using the following theories (from philosophy and mythology): Transhumanism; Posthumanism; Posthuman; Determinism; Greek Mythology; Egyptian Mythology; Free Will. Additional topics explored are: Artificial Intelligence; Extended Lifespan; Immortality; Consciousness. ------------------------------------------------------------ This presentation was featured at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Games and Simulations Network live webcast on Feb. 25, 2018. The live webcast video was recorded and made available on Youtube, as well as made available in this presentation. Please feel free to watch the video while exploring the presentation.

1. Ethics & Games:
Sherry Jones
Philosophy & Game Studies
Twitter @autnes
The Talos Principle

2. About this Presentation
This presentation was featured at the International Society for Technology in
Education (ISTE) Games and Simulations Network live webcast on Feb. 25, 2018.
The live webcast video was recorded and made available on Youtube, as well as
made available in this presentation.
Please feel free to watch the video while exploring the presentation.

3. Recorded Live Webcast

4. What is The Talos Principle ?

5. First Person (Philosophical) Puzzle Game
❖ The Talos Principle (2014, 2015, 2017) is a first person puzzle game
by Croteam, with game narrative written by Tom Jubert and Jonas
Kyratzes, writers of the famous Serious Sam series.
❖ Released on MS Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iOS, Playstation 4.
❖ Gameplay involves solving logic puzzles to access different parts of a
world. Some puzzles require evasion from enemies, and forming
connections between puzzle pieces to enter blocked areas.
❖ Game goal is to discover one’s (the player’s ) purpose in this world.

6. Player’s Conundrum: Lack of Personal Context
❖ When The Talos Principle begins, the player is immediately greeted by
the voice of Elohim, an invisible entity that guides the player.
❖ The player is told that there are multiple worlds to explore, and that
the player’s purpose is to solve the puzzles in the worlds.
❖ The player does not know the purpose for solving the puzzles, other
than that the puzzles are designed to be enjoyable.
❖ The player also does not know why he/she is present in this world. No
personal context is provided.

7. About the Game Narrative
❖ Originally, the Croteam only made a puzzle game, with no game
narrative to accompany the puzzle.
❖ Croteam later invited Tom Jubert and Jonas Kyratzes to write the
game narrative; using philosophical theories, the writers created a
narrative design that justified the player’s need to solve the game’s
complex puzzles (guiding the player with philosophical questions).
❖ Moments of ludonarrative dissonance sometimes occur between the
puzzles’ rationale and the narrative’s rationale in The Talos Principle.

8. Game Narrative Inspired by Philosophy, Greek &
Egyptian Mythology, Transhumanism & Posthumanism

9. Influences: Greek Myth of Talos
❖ Talos (Crete term is equivalent to Greek term, Helios, the sun) - An
automaton, made of bronze, who was possibly created by Zeus, the
God of the sky and the ruler over all gods and demigods. As the
warder of the island of Crete, Talos ran around the island 3 times a
day to protect the island from intruders.
❖ Talos possessed human like intelligence, but not a human body.

10. Source: “Death of Talos” from
Carlos Parada and Maicur Forlag

11. Influences: Transhumanism and Posthumanism
❖ Transhumanism (1923) - An ideology that promotes overcoming
human limitations (in both intellect and physiology) with technology.
Some scholars classify transhumanism as a theory of
posthumanism.
❖ Posthumanism (late 20th c.) - A philosophy that examines the nature
of the human condition through contemporary technological and
scientific knowledge. The changing definition of “what it is to be a
human” warrants modification to ethics.
❖ Posthuman - A version of human that has overcome human
intellectual and physical limitations, but may not be intelligible to us.

12. Influences: Phenomenology of Thought
❖ Central to the narrative of The Talos Principle is an “Institute of
Applied Noematics.” The word “noema” has a deep, philosophical
root.
❖ Noema (Greek) - The word stands for “idea” or “thought.”
❖ Philosopher Edmund Husserl uses “noema” to refer to the object or
content of thought; in Husserl’s phenomenology, all intentional acts
contain content of objects from the physical world. In other words, a
thought (from subjective realm) cannot occur without a referent (from
physical realm). One cannot form thoughts in a vacuum. This view
answers the mind-body distinction problem in philosophy.

13. Game Characters

14. Characters Who Affect Game Events
❖ Elohim (aka EL-O:HIM) - An invisible authority figure who guides the
player throughout the game; he speaks to the player whenever he
wishes.
❖ The Serpent - A character who may or may not have been intended to
appear in the game; the character may be a game anomaly.
❖ Dr. Arkady Chernyshevsky - A nobel prize honored technologist who
serves as the head of the Institute of Applied Noematics project.

15. Elohim Advises the Player

16. Game Storyworld

17. The Hall of 7 Worlds

18. Entrance to World 6

19. A Puzzle World: World 1

20. A Puzzle World: Greek Architecture

21. A Puzzle World: Cliffs

22. A Puzzle World: Ocean (Edge)

23. The Tower

24. Worlds at the Tower

25. Game Mechanics

26. Sigil

27. Sigil Signs

28. Lock that Requires Sigils to Unlock

29. Star (Blocked Behind an Energy Wall)

30. Jammer

31. Bomb

32. Buzzer

33. Reflector

34. Receiver (Activated by Beam from Reflector)

35. Reflectors and Receivers (Beam Color Matters)

36. Turret

37. Hexahedron

38. Terminal (Metadiegetic Narrative Device)

39. Paint Bucket

40. Message (Made with Paint)

41. Game Rhetoric: Meaning and Purpose

42. Elohim’s Speech on the Nature of the World 1 of 5

43. Elohim’s Speech on the Nature of the World 2 of 5

44. Elohim’s Speech on the Nature of the World 3 of 5

45. Elohim’s Speech on the Nature of the World 4 of 5

46. Elohim’s Speech on the Nature of the World 5 of 5

47. Elohim’s Speech on Eternal Life 1 of 5

48. Elohim’s Speech on Eternal Life 2 of 5

49. Elohim’s Speech on Eternal Life 3 of 5

50. Elohim’s Speech on Eternal Life 4 of 5

51. Elohim’s Speech on Eternal Life 5 of 5

52. Game Rhetoric: What Is a Human?

53. Psychometric
Profile
Certification
Test Part 1-1

54. Psychometric
Profile
Certification
Test Part 1-2

55. Psychometric
Profile
Certification
Test Part 1-3

56. Psychometric
Profile
Certification
Test Part 2-1

57. Psychometric
Profile
Certification
Test Part 2-2

58. Test Results:
Psychological
Profile

59. Test Results:
Conflicts

60. Test Results:
Denial

61. Game Rhetoric: Purpose of Life Is to Solve Puzzles

62. One’s Purpose Is to Obtain Sigils

63. The Extent of One’s Reality Is the World of Puzzles

64. Enlightenment Is To Accept the Reality of Puzzles

65. Game Rhetoric: Obey Authority (Do Not Ascend)

66. Do Not Visit the Tower (Listen to Elohim)

67. The Tower Should Be Feared (Listen to Elohim)

68. Do Not Ascend the Tower (Listen to Elohim)

69. Game Rhetoric: Do Not Accept Chaos (Serpent)

70. (Serpent’s) Voice is a Distortion

71. (Serpent’s) Voice Will Undermine the World

72. Serpent Speaks Blasphemy

73. Serpent Speaks with a Female Voice

74. Stop Talking to Me, Serpent!

75. Game Rhetoric: Reality May Not Be As It Seems

76. Parts of the World Seems Impossible

77. Suspicion of Reality

78. Space Is Not Real

79. Naming Function Error (Revealing Algorithm Error)

80. Child Program Fail (Revealing Algorithm Error)

81. Nanosleep NULL Sign (Revealing Algorithm Error)

82. Vegetation Shader Sign (Revealing Design Talk)

83. Game Secrets Revealed!: Who Are You?

84. Secret: The World is a Program Filled With Bots

85. Secret: AIs Were Messaging You

86. Secret: Here is The Shepherd, an AI

87. Secret: You (the Player) Are an AI Too!

88. Secret: Messages (Are Painted on Walls by AIs)

89. Secret: You (the Player) Are Painting a Message!

90. Secrets Revealed: Reality (Context) is Designed

91. Extended
Lifespan Project
by
Dr. Arkady
Chernyshevsky

92. Extended
Lifespan
Project Design
Team

93. Designing the
“Turing Test”
for Bots
1 of 2

94. Designing the
“Turing Test”
for Bots
2 of 2

95. HIM (Holistic
(Integration
Manager):
Birth of EL-
O:HIM

96. Design Context: Greek Myths and Philosophy

97. Tale of
Automatons
1 of 2

98. Tale of
Automatons
2 of 2

99. The Talos
Principle:
Inescapable
Materiality of
Life

100. Cicero on
Immortality

101. Design Context: Egyptian Myths

102. Book of
Osiris:
Human’s Ka
and Ba

103. Design Problems: What is an AI?

104. What Is It
Like to be
an AI?

105. Debate on AI
Citizenship
1 of 2

106. Debate on AI
Citizenship
2 of 2

107. Game Conclusion (Spoilers Ahead!)

108. The Purpose of Solving the Puzzles
❖ EL-O:HIM is a program created by the “Institute of Applied
Noematics” to generate and run AIs, and to test the AIs’ ability to
become sentient and develop free will.
❖ Sentience (capacity to feel) involves becoming able to sense the
world and have subjective experiences.
❖ Free will involves making choices while being able to resist external
temptations.
❖ The AIs are to solve the puzzles to obtain sigils (particular the “grey”
sigil) to be able to access the 6th floor of the Tower.

109. Develop the Free Will to Resist Elohim
❖ Although Elohim has explicitly warned the AIs to not ascend the
tower, the AIs are supposed to not feel compelled by Elohim’s
commands (or the Serpent’s sways), and ascend the Tower with their
own free will.
❖ Many AIs have failed to reach the top of the Tower, and each time an
AI fails to do so, Elohim would “reboot” the AI to restart the program
again to replay the puzzles.
❖ The AI that can reach the top of the Tower on its own would be
uploaded to a physical, android body, and be able to explore the
physical world.

110. Continuing Life as a “Posthuman”
❖ The ending of the game reveals that all human beings have been
wiped out due to viruses released from the permafrost when global
warming occurred.
❖ Prior to death, the Institute of Applied Noematics stored all human
knowledge in the program, EL-O:HIM, in hope that the program would
one day generate an AI, equipped with all human knowledge, can
developed the free will to continue existence as a “posthuman.”
❖ Immortality, in this sense, is granted to collective human knowledge,
not consciousness.

111. Applying Philosophy
and Ethics of
Determinism to
Examine the Game,
The Talos Principle

112. What is Determinism?
❖ Determinism is a philosophy that all events in the universe have
cause and effect relationships, and that occurrences of events are
determined by causality. Many theories (with varying views on
causality) are derived from this philosophy.
❖ The most extreme version of determinism is hard determinism, which
renders free will, as well as ethics, impossible.
❖ The mind vs. body distinction poses a problem for determinism.
❖ Let’s examine the different theories to understand how determinism
can be applied to the analysis of The Talos Principle.

113. Types of Determinism (1 of 2)
❖ Hard (or Scientific) Determinism - Both physical and mental events
have a cause. All choices we make are determined by causes, and are
not of free will. Some choices are epiphenomena, that of which have
no influence on events. Free will and chance are not possible.
❖ Soft Determinism (Compatibilism) - Physical events have a cause, but
mental events do not. Mental events (decisions) pose no effects on
the physical world. Free will to make mental choices is possible.
❖ Predeterminism - God is the primum mobile (first mover) of a hard
deterministic universe. God determines causality of both physical and
mental events. Free will, miracle, and chance are not possible.

114. Types of Determinism (2 of 2)
❖ Indeterminism - Denies that all events are determined by causality.
Accepts the possibility of chaos occurring in the universe. Free will
and chance are possible.
❖ Fatalism - Some events are determined prior to the causal chain in
motion. Those events will be fated to occur regardless of cause or
chance events. It is possible, however, to make a choice to avoid
indefinite events. Free will and chance are possible.
❖ Free Will - Some of our choices are free from causes, but can still
produce effects. This view is problematic as it gives us no way of
tracing the root of our behavior.

115. Hard Determinism and Ethics
❖ Morality Is Not Possible:
➢ Free will is required to make moral or immoral choices.
➢ In a hard deterministic universe, all events (mental and physical)
are caused, leaving no chance to occur.
➢ Since free will is not possible, morality is not possible.
❖ Ethics Is Not Possible: We cannot set forth a set of rules to govern
behaviors when behaviors are determined by causality, and that we
have no control or responsibility over our own behaviors.

116. Mind-Body Distinction and the “Soul”
❖ The mind-body distinction is a philosophical problem that questions
whether the mind can influence the body, or vice versa.
➢ The body can be compelled by external events to act.
➢ The mind can be compelled to think in certain ways based on
wants and desires.
➢ Since we can be compelled or coerced by internal and external
forces to act, such as desires, environmental forces, and
genetics, how can we have free will?
❖ Some philosophers suggest that a “soul,” which is free from but pilots
the mind and body, affords humans the free will to resist. In modern
philosophy, the soul is defined as consciousness.

117. Religious
Context:
Hell is Where
the Mind is
Free

118. Religious
Context:
Hell Corrupts
Mind-Body
Distinction

119. Question about the AI (the Player)
❖ Q. Consider the ending of The Talos Principle. How would
a Compatibilist (Soft Determinist) vs. an Indeterminist
interpret whether or not the AI has achieved true, free will?
❖ Q. For the AI to be able to resist coercion from Elohim and
temptation from the Serpent, it needs to develop free will.
Did the AI ever develop consciousness to develop free
will? Of what, exactly, is the AI conscious?

120. Presentation by:
Sherry Jones
Philosophy & Game Studies SME Lecturer,
Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design
ISTE Games and Simulations Network Leader
http://about.me/sherryjones
Twitter @autnes
sherryjones.edtech@gmail.com