The philosophy of Vampire Willow
Apr. 30th, 2007 09:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sawylThanks to a change remark about goth girls, I decided to put my studies on hold in favour of watching Doppelgängland, the second Buffy episode to feature Vampire Willow. Fortunately, I found my frivolity well rewarded.
The case of Fluffy Willow and Vampire Willow raises a number of interesting questions. The fact that the two Willows are bodily identical — I'm going overlook the fact that one of them is a vampire and therefore dead — but have different characters shows that there is more to identity than simply bodily identity. This point is further emphasised by Fluffy Willow's concern for her doppelgänger, something that would not make a lot of sense if identity was entirely encapsulated in bodily identity, but would if there were also psychological aspects to identity.
It's also interesting that, despite being quite different characters, the two Willows seem to hold some psychological traits in common, which seems to indicate that they may have diverged from the same initial mental state. Which of the two Willows is the genuine successor to the primogenital Willow, it's hard to say since both would seem to have some claim, but it's probably most likely to be Fluffy Willow, since the process of becoming undead probably caused a discontinuity in Vampire Willow's mental states, weakening her claim to be the true successor.
As shows go, it was deeply rewarding. Not only did it have some interesting philosophical mojo going on, but it also featured Willow in leather trousers and a corset — always a good thing...
The case of Fluffy Willow and Vampire Willow raises a number of interesting questions. The fact that the two Willows are bodily identical — I'm going overlook the fact that one of them is a vampire and therefore dead — but have different characters shows that there is more to identity than simply bodily identity. This point is further emphasised by Fluffy Willow's concern for her doppelgänger, something that would not make a lot of sense if identity was entirely encapsulated in bodily identity, but would if there were also psychological aspects to identity.
It's also interesting that, despite being quite different characters, the two Willows seem to hold some psychological traits in common, which seems to indicate that they may have diverged from the same initial mental state. Which of the two Willows is the genuine successor to the primogenital Willow, it's hard to say since both would seem to have some claim, but it's probably most likely to be Fluffy Willow, since the process of becoming undead probably caused a discontinuity in Vampire Willow's mental states, weakening her claim to be the true successor.
As shows go, it was deeply rewarding. Not only did it have some interesting philosophical mojo going on, but it also featured Willow in leather trousers and a corset — always a good thing...
