Zombies are - considering the significant amount of media input – nearly all around us. What was once a niche genre, has long spread and entered the public consciousness and pop culture through a variety of movies and, more recently, through one very successful TV series adaption of a comic series, "The Walking Dead" (2010) and its recent spinoff, "Fear the Walking Dead" (2015). Video game series like Left 4 Dead or Dead Island likewise increased the ever-growing stack of zombie productions. And whereas there were few or no academic works specifically about zombies in the past, there is now a considerable part of academia that explores and observes the zombie from many different angles. There are works which examine the zombie culture according to philosophical, religious, historical, political or even environmental points of view.
One issue that is being explored in these works is the question of humanity and how much of it is still contained in a zombie. As zombies are still able to fulfill basic human functions such as eating or walking, this inevitably leads to questions of human and zombie consciousness. If a person is “zombified”, does he or she still have access to the feelings of the person that was bitten? Can these feelings be accessed and influence the zombie’s behavior? Or will a zombie always act like a mindless machine, never stopping and never settling for any less than human flesh?
This paper seeks to explore the questions mentioned above by analyzing scenes from the first, second and third season of AMC’s TWD. I will first (Chapter 2) seek to explore how alive and conscious the living dead actually are, essentially ask, how much of a human there is still in them. I will first introduce neuroscientific/biological ideas to discuss how “active” a zombie’s brain is and later add neurobiological and philosophical input about consciousness. These thoughts, with an emphasis on the neuroscientific/biological theories, will provide the background for the analysis (Chapter 3): There I will analyze a selection of scenes from TWD’s first three seasons and investigate how the series portrays the zombies’ level of consciousness and agency. Finally, I will conclude my findings.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Zombie Consciousness and Science
3. Analysis
4. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Topics
This paper investigates the portrayal of zombies in AMC's "The Walking Dead" to determine if these creatures retain any form of consciousness or agency. By integrating neurobiological and philosophical frameworks regarding human consciousness, the study analyzes select scenes from the show’s first three seasons to assess whether the behavior of "the undead" contradicts the series' own internal scientific explanations.
- Neurobiological foundations of consciousness and the human brain.
- Theoretical contradictions between zombie "instinct" and observed behavior.
- Case studies of zombie agency in "The Walking Dead" (e.g., Morgan’s wife, "bicycle girl").
- The ethics of zombie existence and comparison to disease-based discrimination.
Excerpt from the Book
3. Analysis
The third scene in this analysis also is from the first episode of TWD’s first season. It takes place after the injured Rick had been found by Morgan and his son. After resting from both his gunshot wound and getting hit over the head with a shovel by Morgan’s son, Rick sits down with the Morgans. The scene begins when a car alarm goes off and Morgan spots his own wife amid the zombies. Suddenly, she walks into the direction of the Morgans’ home, walks up the stairs, attempts to communicate or listen (see fig. 5), reaches into her back pocket (fig. 6) and tries to open the door. At some point then she even appears to look Rick, who is looking through the door’s fish eye, into the eyes (fig. 7). I selected this scene as it is very much rich in hints that the zombies may be more conscious than what Dr. Jenner would describe later: Of all the doors that are in the neighborhood, Morgan’s (zombified) wife chose to go to their house. And not only that, she tried to open the door by turning the door knob. She only fails to do so, because the door was locked.
This scene is very significant: In the whole of season one, no other zombies were seen trying to open a door. Opening a door is also a more complex process than e.g. walking as you need to exercise fine motor control with your hands to successfully open it. So, Morgan’s zombified wife seems to display a level of agency that is inconsistent with the explanations of Dr. Jenner. If she was truly a “mindless shell”, why should she try to open the door? And how does a zombie even know that this object before him/her is a door and that you need to use your hand to open it?
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction establishes the cultural significance of the zombie genre and presents the central research question regarding whether zombies retain human consciousness or act as mindless machines.
2. Zombie Consciousness and Science: This chapter provides a theoretical foundation by exploring the physiology of the human brain, neurobiological views on consciousness, and the historical evolution of zombie mythology.
3. Analysis: The chapter evaluates four specific scenes from "The Walking Dead" to compare the series' internal "zombie rules" against observations of zombie behavior that imply agency or lingering memories.
4. Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, noting that while the series often frames zombies as "mindless shells," certain behaviors observed in the analysis suggest a more complex, albeit inconsistent, portrayal of zombie consciousness.
Keywords
The Walking Dead, Zombie, Consciousness, Agency, Neuroscience, Brainstem, Cerebrum, Dr. Edwin Jenner, Zombie Rules, Zombie Behavior, Humanity, Media Studies, Philosophy of Mind, TV Series Analysis, Zombie Outbreak.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research?
The work examines whether zombies in AMC's "The Walking Dead" possess any level of consciousness or agency, challenging the show's internal narrative that they are merely "mindless shells."
What are the primary thematic areas?
The study centers on neurobiology, philosophical definitions of human consciousness, and the interpretation of media portrayals of the undead.
What is the main research question?
The paper asks how much of a human remains in a zombified person and if the zombies in the series display actions that contradict the scientific explanation of "mindless instinct."
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses a qualitative analysis of selected show scenes, juxtaposing them with neurobiological theories on brain functionality and conscious processing.
What does the main body cover?
It covers theoretical frameworks of consciousness, analysis of specific scenes (like Dr. Jenner's scientific explanation and the behavior of "bicycle girl" and Morgan’s wife), and a discussion on the ethical implications of how zombies are perceived.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include "Zombie," "Consciousness," "Agency," "Neuroscience," and "The Walking Dead."
Why is Dr. Jenner’s scientific explanation important for the analysis?
Dr. Jenner provides the only clear "scientific" baseline within the show's universe, establishing the theory that only the brain stem remains active; this creates a clear contrast for the author to measure observed zombie behavior against.
What makes the scene with Morgan’s wife particularly significant?
It is significant because the character displays complex motor skills and goal-oriented behavior—specifically trying to open a door to her former home—which directly challenges the "mindless shell" narrative.
How does the author explain the inconsistencies in zombie portrayal?
The author suggests that inconsistencies might arise due to the different writers working on the series or that the zombie portrayal remains ambiguous by design, rather than following a singular, rigorous scientific rule.
- Citar trabajo
- Gernot Meyer (Autor), 2017, The Search for Zombie Consciousness and Agency in AMC’s "The Walking Dead", Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/355050
