While watching Ghost in the Shell, I was most intrigued by the new ideas presented about what differentiates humans from others. While Kusanagi and Batou are in the car before the car chase scene, Kusanagi discusses why she chose Batou. She implies that without human brains, the actions of cyborgs would be too predictable to be successful. Perhaps, it is human’s unpredictability that separates us. However, that can be programmed into other entities, making unpredictability an invalid answer. Later, while the Puppet Master is controlling the female body he communicates, “Man is an individual only because of his intangible memory, and memory cannot be defined, but it defines mankind”. While the Puppet Master delivers the lines, the picture is an unmoving, zoomed shot, as we started to discuss in class. I think the image of the face was framed in this way to minimize distractions from the important message. Without movement of the body or camera, the voice-over becomes the only focus. The Puppet Master’s claim seems to build on Kusanagi’s earlier thoughts that her ghost is her own. But what does the term ghost truly encapsulate? Defining one’s ghost as their soul seems too vague for me. One’s ghost could possibly be defined as the collection of experiences used to consciously or unconsciously shape their actions, thoughts, and feelings. However, I believe that through complex coding, this process of letting past interactions effect future responses could also be written into other entities. Leading me to question still, is there any difference between humans and others?
Note: Unfortunately, my movie rental has expired so I could not include the time of each scene. However, a link to the second scene is below. I could not find a video of the first scene I described.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZX58fDhebc
The line I discussed is stated around 3:00.
“Man is an individual only because of his intangible memory, and memory cannot be defined, but it defines mankind.”
This particular quote that you brought up makes me think about the Blade Runner movie we watched earlier in the semester, and how it tackles the idea of human memory. In that movie, the replicants were provided with false memories in order to convince the replicants that they were in fact human. It also helped to convince the humans that they were not replicants. Also, I agree that the camera angle used to portray the Puppet Master saying this quote is completely intentional. I think by only showing his face in the frame it evokes the image of the deus ex machina that were were discussing in class. The deus ex machina It makes the Puppet Master seem god-like, thus, making his claims more convincing.
Also here is a link to a drawing depicting the idea of deus ex machina: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tbZlA2Vb6Zs/Tzas_hKzj2I/AAAAAAAADks/a0CLnazff9Y/s320/mechanea.gif
Notice the similarities between the drawing and the scene with the Puppet Master.
I would agree with Weslyn in that plasticity is one of the defining characteristics of the human brain. However, if the brain is modeled as a series of synapses and neurotransmitters all with established connections, perhaps it can be modeled by a complex computer program. Perhaps the program can pick up on the plasticity of the brain, and change as the brain would with life experience. One of the most important parts of the film, I thought, was when the Puppet Master wished to merge with Kusanagi – not only is this a direct similarity to Neuromancer, but it also highlights themes that we have talked about previously. Why would the Puppet Master wish to merge if not to obtain a degree of “humanness” that Kusanagi possesses by virtue of her biological basis? Indeed, there are moments when Kusanagi is “humanized” in the film, such as when Batou feels as though he should not look at her without clothes. And yet the audience knows that Kusanagi is not fully human. Perhaps the only thing that truly distinguishes humans from nonhumans, then, is the knowledge or perception that one is not human. Without this perception, it may be impossible to tell – and would therefore be irrelevant.
It’s interesting how all of the distinctions you mentioned that make us human can be programmed into other entities. Is it possible that that in itself is the distinction then? Essentially, the fact that humans have these characteristics naturally, and computers and robots can only mimic them through programming, is what makes humanity. It is similar to when the Puppet Master questions his own existence because of his inability to reproduce and die. Replication is not the same as reproduction because it takes out the cycle of evolution. Technically speaking we can program unpredictability, and codes that produce random numbers, but is that the same unpredictability as a fickle human mind? Even memory can be inserted into a robot, but it is not the same is forming memories and developing a human mind. Overall, the key difference may be the ability to change. Humans can evolve and adapt naturally, allowing for changes in mind and thought. However, even if robots can be coded to adapt to surroundings and learn from past movements, it is not the same natural process that cycles in humans where we can learn, grow, and then pass that knowledge on to future generations.