Joss Whedon's Philosophy

Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse borrows from John Locke’s philosophical work Essay

Concerning Human Understanding to explore the development of individual and group

identity, effectively and accurately portraying the text.

• Book 1 of the Essay critiques nativism, saying there is no innate knowledge.

Likewise, Dolls within the Dollhouse are void of basic knowledge.

o In Tabula Rasa state, Dolls only perform basic tasks as exemplified by

those around them.

o In “The Left Hand,” Echo doesn’t call out for God, drawing on Locke’s

claim that God is not a universal idea.

• Book 2 introduces the idea of empiricism, which is depicted throughout the show.

o The personalities built for the Dolls are comprised of traits other people

acquired.

o Topher

He is

usually regarded as the father of a philosophical belief known as British Empiricism. His Essay

Concerning Human Understanding is viewed as the most important and influential piece of his

entire career. Joss Whedon’s 2009 television show, Dollhouse, borrows from Locke’s Essay to

build the basis of the show. Dollhouse features a sci-fi technology company known as Rossum

Corporation that develops the technology to remove memories and personality from human

beings and then fill them with the identities other people. The company exploits this technology

by lending out these people, called dolls or actives, to rich clients for copious amounts of money.

The show primarily follows a doll dubbed Echo as she begins to develop an identity and journeys

towards self-awareness. By exploring the concepts of group and indiviual identity through Echo

and the basis of empiricism, Dollhouse effectively and accurately portrays Locke’s Essay.

The first book within the Essay focuses on critiquing the common idea of nativism.

Locke argues that humans are not born with any innate knowledge or understanding of

His belief is that our knowledge is based on our own

experiences in life and how we interpret and connect them. From there, it is easy to conclude

that our personalities rely on our knowledge. This is effectively mirrored in the world of

Dollhouse as the dolls’ personalities cannot simply be fabricated. Topher Brink, the technician of

Echo’s house, explains that the imprinted personalities must be constructed from different

people’s memories and experiences as that is how knowledge and identity form.

In the pilot episode, Echo is sent to help mediate a transaction after a child is kidnapped.

She arrives at the house of the father, Gabriel Crestejo, and everything goes smoothly until the

actual transaction begins. Echo discovers that the kidnapper, known as Mr. Sunshine, is the

same man who kidnapped a part of her borrowed identity. This is proof that Echo’s identity is

reliant on memories to give her certain traits and motivation, accurately drawing from Locke’s

empiricism. (“Ghost”)

Further evidence of empiricism is protrayed through the repetitive wiping of actives’

brains after each mission. Topher Brink calls in each doll after an engagement for