Philosophers, writers, and scientists have been grappling with the mysteries of reality and human existence for thousands of years. What is consciousness? Do we have free will? Does god exist? These questions often spark heated debates because they have no easy answers. And while many television series might shy away from the notion of addressing these types of questions purely out of fear of polarizing their audience, there are a select few that have not only acknowledged these provocative questions, but attempted to provide answers to them. Here are five TV episodes that tackled big philosophical issues.
5. “Dark Water” (Doctor Who)
Do we experience anything after we die? In Doctor Who, there is a realm called the Nethersphere which is, in essence, a programmed virtual reality where the minds of the recently deceased can be uploaded and saved. While a persons consciousness is within the the Nethersphere, it can be suspended in a type of cybernetic promised land, which would be akin to thinking they had died and gone to heaven. On the other hand, instead of cyber-heaven, one could have their consciousness altered to remove any trace of emotion only to have it reinserted into a cyborg body. In any case, this episode gave us the answer to the question. Yes, we do have experiences after we die, and a part of the human consciousness remains.