What It Is To Be Human?

The Cyberpunk genre

Cyberpunk is a genre that focuses on technology’s ability to blur boundaries, mainly those between human and machine. Two of the greatest cyberpunk works, the movie Blade Runner (1982) and the book Neuromancer (1984) by William Gibson, raise the question of what it means to be human. Even though they address this boundary between human and machine in different ways, both works seem to be less concerned to the futuristic technology itself and more about how technological systems reshape identity, consciousness, and human value in a globalized world controlled by big corporations.

The Blade Runner perspective

The movie Blade Runner addresses this theme through the replicants, which are bioengineered beings created to serve humans. These beings play big roles in the movie, for example the characters Roy Batty and Rachel. Roy and Rachel are replicants that actually display emotions, memories, fear of death, and empathy, raising the question: why can’t they be considered humans? They have to go through the Voight-Kampff test, which is supposed to differ humans from replicants by measuring emotional responses, which suggests that humanity is measured by experience and feeling rather than biologically. The part that makes the movie even more interesting for me is when the replicants start to demonstrate more emotional depth that some human characters, for example when Roy in his final monologue talks about the memories that will be “lost in time”, demonstrating awareness, and grief, which are qualities considered originally and uniquely human.

The Neuromancer Perspective

Neuromancer approaches this discussion from a different perspective, focusing on AI and cyberspace. Here the debate is about the body. The flesh versus the consciousness. AI systems, such as Wintermute and Neuromancer seek autonomy and challenge the corporate limits placed on then, revealing a desire to be more. Maybe a desire to be human? In the meanwhile, Case, a human character, escapes into cyberspace to avoid physical reality, raising another question: is identity tied to the body? And for him the answer is no. This relates to posthumanist ideas discussed in class, where the human is no longer fixed or stable, but shaped by technological systems and network. So, differently from Blade Runner that discusses the boundary between human and machine addressing emotional experiences over biology, Neuromancer discusses it addressing consciousness and identity over the flash.

Cyberpunk’s Foundational Concerns

I believe both of these works reveal a cyberpunk concern of redefining humanity as technology systems take over our society. And what seems to happen is that this definition works in favor of the big corporations, who have the power and control, while individuals struggle to maintain their identity, for example through the Voight-Kampff test, or when Case was stuck in Chiba City because his nervous system got damaged. This means powerful institutions make the decision of what it is to be human based on how they will benefit from it – based on their own interests. This transforms the discussion from a philosophical and ethical, to one driven by self-interest, profit, and economy. Therefore, Cyberpunk suggests that the danger is not simply advanced technology, but the possibility that definitions of humanity itself become shaped by those who benefit most from technological power.

Sources

Gibson, W. (1984). Neuromancer. Ace Books. Scott, R. (Director). (1982). Blade Runner [Film]. The Ladd Company; Shaw Brothers; Warner Bros.

AI Attestation: No use of AI for this assignment