Critical Theory in a Digital Age, CCU, ENGL 483 2017

Cocco Page 4

 


Donna Harroway’s “A Cyborg Manifesto” dabbles with the idea of living amongst human-like android/cyborgs that act, talk, and move like a normal human. For many people, this idea is in their uncanny valley due to the fact that they would have a hard time distinguishing between what is machine and what is man. In all types of media, cyborgs/android are seen in a multitude of movie titles such as Alien, Ex Machina or Terminator, but one in particular goes into what life could be like living amongst these machines.  I, Robot, directed by Alex Proyas takes place in the year 2035 and a technophobic cop, Del Spooner (Will Smith), investigates a recent crime that may or may not have been committed by one of these android/cyborgs. Harroway is quoted in her piece saying, “So my cyborg myth is about transgressed boundaries, potent fusions and dangerous possibilities which progressive people might want to explore as one part of needed political work” (Harroway)— this movie goes right into this exact idea. Due to this recent crime that Del has to undertake, the question comes clear to the main character on whether or not a human programmed this android to commit this crime even though the one of robotic laws that were stated in the beginning of the film state that, “They cannot harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm”. Even though throughout the movie, Del and even some of the other detectives and officials have even gone on to explain how such an action is impossible due to the fact that these rules are programmed into these robot’s systems. The idea of this law which has been permanently integrated into this system, being hacked or altercated is troubling for many people, troubling enough to be placed in the uncanny valley. The same can be said for dolls. Dolls that pose as extremely life-like are placed into this valley for how unsettling it is for having a little toy that seems real just stares at anybody who looks at it. Movies such as Annabelle, use this type of uncanniness and exploits the fear that comes from this which made this movie so successful. Before Annabelle, there were very few horror movies that did an effective job in exploiting this feeling. However going back to Harroway’s quote, it can also be seen as the beginning of the end. In the movie Jurassic Park, Dr. Ian Malcom (Jeff Goldblum), while waiting for the T-Rex to appear the first time, said an interesting quote that can be altered into this idea of androids and cyborgs. Dr. Malcom says, “God creates dinosaurs, God kills the dinosaurs. God created man, man kills God. Man creates dinosaurs” (Jurassic Park). This can be switched to relate to the idea of cybernetics and android by saying that God created man, man killed God. Man creates AI, AI kills man. AI create more AI. When thought of as this, it leaves an unsettling thought in one’s head of what the future may behold.

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