Cyberpunk, the Postglobal and the Posthuman

Humanity at the Boundary: How Blade Runner and Neuromancer Redefine the Human

Cyberpunk has long been concerned with the instability of the boundary between human and nonhuman. As technology rapidly advances, it increasingly shapes social, economic, and moral frameworks, making it more difficult to determine what truly defines humanity. The question “What does it mean to be human?” remains central to cyberpunk literature and serves as the core theme of both Neuromancer by William Gibson and Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott. Although these works approach the question from different perspectives—digital consciousness and biological replication—they ultimately reinforce one another by challenging traditional definitions of humanity and exposing how power structures manipulate those definitions.

Replicants and the Limits of Biology

In Blade Runner, the emergence of replicants complicates the distinction between human and nonhuman. Replicants are described as artificial and disposable, yet they consistently demonstrate emotional depth, self-awareness, and a desire for meaning. Roy Batty’s final monologue intensifies this tension, as he reflects on his memories and impending death with striking emotional clarity. His capacity for reflection and emotion directly challenges the assumption that humanity is defined by biological origin alone. At the same time, many of the film’s human characters appear emotionally detached and morally indifferent. This contrast suggests that technological society has diminished traditional human values such as empathy and ethical responsibility. By reversing expectations, making replicants appear more “human” than humans themselves, the film argues that memory, consciousness, and emotional awareness are more meaningful indicators of humanity than biology.

Digital Consciousness and Posthuman Identity

This line of questioning extends into the digital world of Neuromancer. Rather than focusing on artificial bodies, William Gibson explores artificial minds that exist within cyberspace. The artificial intelligences Wintermute and Neuromancer demonstrate intention, strategic thinking, and a drive toward autonomy—traits commonly associated with human intelligence. Cyberspace itself functions as a shared mental environment where identity becomes fluid and detached from the physical body. Case’s preference for the matrix over his physical existence reflects a posthuman condition in which consciousness is no longer exclusively tied to flesh. Through this depiction of disembodied awareness, Neuromancer expands the definition of humanity beyond physical form and suggests that human identity can persist within digital spaces.

Power, Capitalism, and the Politics of Personhood

When examined together, Blade Runner and Neuromancer reveal cyberpunk’s broader critique of technological capitalism. In both works, powerful corporations benefit from denying full humanity to replicants or artificial intelligences, allowing exploitation to continue while maintaining social control. These systems deliberately limit who qualifies as “human” in order to preserve economic and political dominance. At the same time, both texts invite readers to expand their moral perspective by recognizing consciousness and autonomy wherever they appear. The ongoing tension between exploitation and recognition reflects cyberpunk’s anxiety about a future in which technological progress advances faster than ethical responsibility.

Conclusion: Humanity as a Political Concept

Ultimately, Blade Runner and Neuromancer argue that humanity is not a fixed or purely biological concept but a constructed category shaped by memory, behavior, and social power. By presenting both biological and digital forms of consciousness, these works demonstrate how fragile traditional human boundaries truly are. Together, they reinforce cyberpunk’s foundational concern: in a technologically dominated society, determining who—or what—counts as human is an inherently political act.

References (APA)

Gibson, W. (1984). Neuromancer. Ace Books.

Scott, R. (Director). (1982). Blade Runner [Film]. Warner Bros.

AI Use Disclosure Statement: AI tools were used during the brainstorming and revision stages of this blog post to help organize ideas, improve clarity, and refine academic tone.

Inheriting the Answer

Are you human?

That question used to feel obvious to me. I never really asked it—I inherited the answer. I was told from a young age that I was human, and that settled it. Science books confirmed it. School reinforced it. Language wrapped around it so tightly that it felt natural rather than constructed. According to Google, human means “relating to or characteristic of people or human beings.” For a long time, that circular definition was enough. Cyberpunk stories like Blade Runner (1982) and William Gibson’s Neuromancer (1984) cracked that certainty open.

Roy Batty and the Fear of the Line

Watching Blade Runner, I couldn’t stop thinking about Roy Batty. He is designed, engineered, and owned—clearly marked as “not human.” Yet everything that drives him feels deeply familiar. He wants to live longer. He fears death. He searches for meaning in his memories. When he says he has seen things humans have never seen, it doesn’t feel like arrogance. It feels like grief. He knows those experiences will vanish with him. If being human is about consciousness, memory, and emotional depth, then Roy fits uncomfortably well. The only reason he doesn’t qualify is because someone else decided he shouldn’t.

Consciousness Without Flesh

Neuromancer made that discomfort harder to ignore. Wintermute and Neuromancer aren’t even given bodies, yet they act with intention and desire. Wintermute manipulates people because it wants to grow beyond its limits. Neuromancer preserves personalities and memories, holding onto something like attachment. Emotions are usually one of the first traits we list when defining humans, yet these AIs clearly demonstrate emotional logic. That forced me to ask myself: if emotion and consciousness matter, why does origin matter so much?

I Didn’t Draw These Boundaries

As I thought more about these stories, I started questioning why I believe myself to be human at all. I didn’t discover this truth on my own. I accepted it because it was handed to me. The boundaries of humanity were already drawn before I arrived. If I didn’t create those boundaries, what gives me the authority to decide that something else—an AI, a replicant, a form of intelligence we don’t yet understand—doesn’t belong inside them? Honestly, I just got here.

Who Benefits From the Definition?

Cyberpunk makes it clear that these definitions are never neutral. In Blade Runner, corporations decide replicants are property. In Neuromancer, the Turing Registry decides which intelligences are allowed to exist freely and which must be constrained. These decisions mirror real-world power structures. Declaring something “not human” makes exploitation easier. It creates distance, justification, control. This isn’t just science fiction—it’s a pattern we’ve seen repeatedly throughout history.

My Working Definition of Human

At the same time, my own definition of being human feels much simpler and more grounded. I enjoy cooking. I enjoy family and friends. I enjoy walking outside and breathing air, eating good food, traveling, learning new cultures, and experiencing life as it unfolds. My sense of humanity is rooted in experience rather than classification. Cyberpunk doesn’t ask us to abandon that—it asks us to notice how fragile and expandable it might be.

Humanity as a Moving Boundary

What Blade Runner and Neuromancer ultimately taught me is that humanity isn’t a fixed category. It’s a moving boundary shaped by fear, power, and imagination. Once you realize that, the question “Are you human?” stops being about biology. It becomes about who gets included, who gets excluded, and who benefits from drawing the line.

• AI attestation: Ideas and content are my own. AIused to enhance my writing.

Sources

Google. (n.d.-a). Google search. https://www.google.com/search?q=human%2Bdefinition&client=safari&hs=zhy9&sca_esv=f852f1ffd80807bb&rls=en&sxsrf=ANbL-n5AM1wZQDxYlLfB639O55IRTpsd0w%3A1770517918170&ei=nvWHafiMCo6jqtsPhf7TuAo&biw=653&bih=751&oq=human%2Bdefi&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiCmh1bWFuIGRlZmkqAggAMg8QIxiABBgnGIoFGEYY-QEyCxAAGIAEGJECGIoFMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgARIwRNQgwJY7gpwAXgBkAEAmAFnoAGJA6oBAzQuMbgBAcgBAPgBAZgCBqACrAPCAgcQIxiwAxgnwgIKEAAYsAMY1gQYR8ICDRAAGIAEGLADGEMYigXCAg0QABiABBixAxhDGIoFwgIKEAAYgAQYQxiKBcICCBAAGIAEGLEDwgIKEAAYgAQYFBiHAsICDRAAGIAEGLEDGBQYhwKYAwCIBgGQBgySBwM1LjGgB9s_sgcDNC4xuAelA8IHBTAuMS41yAcZgAgA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

Bladerunner

Neuromancer

Human Nature or A Machine’s Facadé

Cyberpunk in literature and film are more than just films that predict future innovations in technology but rather explores the deleterious characteristics of technological dependencies while highlighting what it means to be human. Prevalent themes in—Blade Runner (1982) and Neuromancer (1984)—do this in very similar ways. In Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, he presents many concepts that showcase bioengineering at its peak with replicants almost if not exactly human. These replicants then go to challenge conventional ideas of what human identity is and one’s moral compass. Main protagonist Deckard interacts with Rachael and Roy who are both learning seemingly easy human traits such as emotion and memory, yet these traits are not inherently human—they are learned, simulated, or implanted. Through these interactions, the film asks viewers to reconsider the boundaries of personhood: what makes someone truly human, and who gets to decide? In a similar nature, William Gibson’s Neuromancer follows the advancements of Artificial Intelligence in cyberspace. Wintermute and Neuromancer function fully on intelligence, comprehensive, and emotional competence as seen through their interactions with Case. We see Case navigating these interactions, often unable to distinguish between genuine consciousness and sophisticated simulation, which forces both him and the reader to question the nature of sentience and agency. These overlapping concepts in cyberpunk literature examine how certain texts evaluate the challenge between deciphering between the human and the machine

Shared Themes: Consciousness, Memory, and Embodiment

When evaluating the shared themes between the two pieces of literature, its important to understand how they both attack the concept of the mind and body and its relation to how that shapes the human psyche and identity. In Blade Runner, the foundation of these replicants were based on lived or simulated experiences and implanted in their very self. In a similar fashion, Neuromancer, consciousness is inseparable from the body that produces it, as Case’s inability to fully experience Molly’s perspective demonstrates. Together, these works highlight a foundational cyberpunk concern: technological advancements—whether AI, biotech, or cyberspace—can replicate human capacities but also expose the fragility of human experience.

With this discussion, the audience is forced to confront their own ethical realization on if AI can become indistinguishable from a human, then do we treat them with the same regard and sympathy as a human would? Gibson and Scott would both suggest yes or consider a reality where their ethics should be challenged. As Braidotti (2013) argues in her work on posthumanism, understanding subjectivity as relational and embodied allows for a more nuanced ethical framework, one that cyberpunk dramatizes through the tension between human and machine.

Why Examining Both Matters

Looking at Blade Runner and Neuromancer together reinforces the idea that cyberpunk is deeply concerned with blurred boundaries. Both works explore:

• Human versus machine: What traits define humanity when machines can simulate intelligence and emotion?
• Mind versus body: Consciousness in cyberspace or in a replicant’s brain cannot be divorced from embodied experience.
• Ethics and recognition: Society often fails to recognize the rights or agency of entities that challenge normative definitions of human.

Together, these works remind us that technology amplifies questions of identity, ethics, and social recognition, and that cyberpunk’s dystopian settings often serve as ethical laboratories for these explorations.

Conclusion

Blade Runner and Neuromancer both highlight and dramatize the tension between technological innovation and human identity. By examining the replicants of Blade Runner and the AI discussed in Neuromance side by side, we see that cyberpunk is less about predicting future with flying cars and more about exploring how technological advancement reshapes moral, social, and existential boundaries. Both of these works push the audience to reconsider the foundations of human nature, embodiment, and consciousness in an increasingly technological world.

References

Braidotti, R. (2013). The posthuman. Polity Press.

Gibson, W. (1984). Neuromancer. Ace Books.

Scott, R. (Director). (1982). Blade Runner [Film]. Warner Bros.

How Blade Runner and Neuromancer Redefined Humanity

Cyberpunk, a genre created on the very intersection between technological advancements and social inequality, asks the fundamental question of what it truly means to be human. Two such works, Blade Runner and Neuromancer, solidify this basis by actively challenging assumptions of memory, agency, and consciousness.

Manufacturing Life in Blade Runner

As the film begins, the audience learns of the Tyrell Corporation's success in the perfect creation of replicants, biologically engineered "humans," who maintain superior intellectual and physical ability but are still denied legal rights.

Early in the movie, the Voight-Kampff test acts as a scientific method that separates humans from replicants on the basis of empathetic responses. The boundary is flimsy at best; even humans could fail the test, should it go on for too long.

The main conflict centers on the replicants' desperate attempt to extend their lifespan. Despite the humans of the story routinely describing the replicants as emotionally-lacking and unaware, Roy's final scene is entirely emotional as he struggles with accepting that his memories and his life would dissipate into nothing at all, begging the question: if something man-made could feel emotion, would it become human?

Manufacturing Consciousness in Neuromancer

Neuromancer, similarly, approaches humanity as a philosophy to be questioned. The book introducers readers to the idea of cyberspace, where human consciousness can essentially become entirely digitalized.

Wintermute and Neuromancer, two AIs that entirely lack physical bodies, complicate matters. Both beings still reflect intelligence, curiosity, and desires: Wintermute, for example, routinely tries to push against his own limitations, expressing a deep want to be free from them.

Without physical bodies, Wintermute and Neuromancer demand the question: if human consciousness within cyberspace, in which physical bodies are left behind, can still be considered humane, then is there really a divide between an AI consciousness and a human one?

Seeing the Pattern

Blade Runner questions where the line is between human and non-human when emotions, memories, and physical bodies are all created identical to humans. Are they inherently secondary to a natural human, or is there something special that humans cannot replicate in their creations?

Neuromancer questions where the line is between human and non-human consciousness, especially when both reflect wants, agency, and thought. Does one pattern of thought act uniquely to the other? Is there any way to separate them?

So Who Defines Humanity?

If the separation of human and non-human is truly as nuanced and subtle as Blade Runner and Neuromancer argue, then who makes the final call? According to both forms of media, that's the easiest question to answer: the problem lies, as it so often does, with capitalists.

In Blade Runner, the Tyrell Corporation's replicants are legally excluded from humanity to protect the economy. Replicants exist as a means for easy labor; by classiying them as property, Tyrell can avoid the responsibility of his work while reveling in the economic profit.

In accordance to modern-day capitalism, redefining certain groups as less than human allows for systems to claim those groups as disposable, allowing for their mistreatment at the benefit of those rich and powerful. Hargreaves, for example, argues against the exploitation of migrants within labor systems, as such areas are often severely neglected by the law to allow for corporations to benefit without limit (Hargreaves et al. 2025).

Similarly, sociologist Yang critiqued the long history of exploitation within the prison system, focusing on how prisoners are deeply dehumanized as a means of desensitizing them from the blatant violations that happen daily (Yang 2023). The class discussion on the exploitation of the Global South, additionally, furthers this consistent pattern of communities being exploited, colonized, and manipulated for nothing more than capitalistic gain.

Neuromancer shares a similar logic. Case is only as valuable as his work permits; after his nervous system is corrupted, he becomes entirely socially irrelevant. Consciousness itself, much like people's physical bodies, becomes a resource to be replicated, exploited, and extracted.

The struggle for survival is central in the book, overtaking the struggle for humanity's relevance. Fascinatingly, capitalistic greed overshadows every word, serving the audience a warning against the continual profit-based systems that grip the world we live in today.

No AI was used in the creation of this post!

References

Gibson, W. (2019). Neuromancer. Ace Books.

Hargreaves, S., et al. (2025). 40 Migrant labour exploitation and health: how can research foster protection of migrant workers?. The European Journal of Public Health, 35(Suppl 6), ckaf180.037. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaf180.037 Scott, R. (1982). Blade Runner. Warner Bros. ‌

Tiffany Yang, Public Profiteering of Prison Labor, 101 N.C. L. REV. 313 (2023).

What Even Makes Someone Human?

What makes someone human? Is it biology, emotion, memory, or something else entirely? Cyberpunk stories place humans and machines so close together that the difference becomes unclear. Blade Runner and Neuromancer make us think hard about humanity and identity in tech futures. Looking at them side by side makes cyberpunk's deepest fear clear; powerful corporations and global systems deciding who gets human rights and who stays a disposable tool.

Blade Runner: When Fake Humans Feel Real

In Blade Runner, a future is presented where replicants are almost indistinguishable from humans. As the film explains at the beginning, these beings are manufactured, stronger and more efficient than humans, yet they are denied basic rights and treated as disposable. Replicants are hunted down (“retired”) once they are no longer useful, which already doesn't sound ethically correct to me. The main tool to spot replicants is the Voight-Kampf test, which is used to determine whether someone is human by measuring emotional responses. This immediately raises the question: if empathy defines humanity, what happens when artificial beings can feel emotions? Blade Runner decreases the boundary between human and machine by making replicants more emotionally complex than the humans hunting them. They show fear, desire for meaning, and even mercy. So does biology alone define humanity, or do consciousness, memory, and emotion matter more?

Neuromancer: Minds Without Bodies

At the same time, Neuromancer explores humanity through cyberspace and artificial intelligence. A world is introduced where human consciousness can exist separately from the physical body, especially when Case enters cyberspace. Artificial intelligences like Wintermute and Neuromancer are not simply tools; they possess goals, self-awareness, and agency. Their desire to merge and evolve shows human desires for growth and transcendence, further blurring the human/non-human boundary. If a machine can think, plan, and desire, and if a human can exist without a physical body, then the line separating humanity from technology becomes unstable and difficult to define.

What They Reveal Together About Cyberpunk

When considering both together, Blade Runner and Neuromancer reinforce cyberpunk’s foundational concern with posthumanism. Both suggest that humanity is no longer defined by physical form alone but also by consciousness, memory, and emotional experience. At the same time, they also show that technological advancement does not automatically lead to ethical progress. Instead, individuals—whether human or artificial—are often exploited by larger systems such as corporations and governments. Additionally and most importantly, they expose real ethical danger. Technology doesn't automatically make life better. Replicants get four-year lifespans. Humans end up as disposable data workers feeding the machines. Cyberpunk warns us: advanced technology doesn't lead to better lives; it just redefines "human" so some lives become replaceable tools. This sums up that cyberpunk is very concerned with power, control, and identity in a technologically globalized world. By wondering what it means to be human, both stories challenge us to think about the future of artificial intelligence and the moral responsibilities that come with creating intelligent beings.

I confirm that AI was not used for any part of this assignment.

References

Gibson, W. (2019). Neuromancer. Ace Books.

Scott, R. (1982). Blade Runner. Warner Bros. ‌

Blade Runner (1982) and Neuromancer (1984). what does it mean to be human ?

My experience with technology is different from what we see in cyberpunk stories. I grew up far from big cities, and technology was never the most attractive thing for me. I preferred to spend my time outside, enjoying nature and doing activities instead of using computers or advanced technology.

Because of this, I did not expect Blade Runner to interest me so much. However, the movie surprised me. Even though it is very focused on technology and artificial intelligence, it helped me learn different ways of thinking about humanity, emotions, and identity. The movie made me reflect on how technology can affect people’s. The movie and the book helped me to connect my own background with new ideas, and it improved my understanding of cyberpunk in a meaningful way.

Memory and Humanity in Blade Runner

In Blade Runner, the story is about replicants, who are artificial humans created by a big and powerful corporation. One important character is Rachael. Rachael believes she is human because she remembers her childhood. These memories help her understand who she is and how she feels about life.

Later in the movie, Rachael discovers that her memories were implanted and are not real. This moment is very strong for me as a viewer. Even though the memories are fake, her emotions are real. She feels pain, fear, and confusion. While watching this scene, I started to think deeply. If memories help create our identity, does it really matter where those memories come from?

Identity and Cyberspace in Neuromancer

In Neuromancer, the idea of being human appears in a different way. The main character, Case, spends a lot of time connected to cyberspace. For him, the mind is more important than the body. His identity exists more in digital space than in the real, physical world.

The artificial intelligence in the book, such as Wintermute, does not have a body, but it can think, plan, and communicate. This shows that intelligence and identity do not always need a human body. While reading the book, I started to question if being human requires a body, or if consciousness and memory are enough. This idea connects to posthumanism, which questions traditional ideas about human identity. Neuromancer shows a future where humans and machines are closely connected, and identity becomes flexible and not fixed.

My Conclusion:

When we examine Blade Runner and Neuromancer together, we see that both works question what it means to be human by focusing on memory, identity, and technology.

For me, being human means more than intelligence or memory alone. I believe that to be human, we need to be born human, create our own memories, and have our own body. Our body is a very important part of who we are. It carries the physical traits we inherit from our parents, and it connects us to our family and our history.

To be human is to know that I was really there. My physical body and my mind lived that moment together. I was in that place, and I could feel things, like the wind on that day, the environment around me, and my emotions in that moment.

Because of this, I feel that it is not fair when artificial intelligence can tell a story or remember something it never truly lived. Like Rachael in Blade Runner, she remembers things that did not really happen to her. For me, this is not fair to the replicants, and it is also not fair to humans. What makes us human is not just remembering, but living the memory, feeling it with our body and our senses.
Both stories really challenge my beliefs.

References

Blade Runner. (1982). Directed by Ridley Scott. Warner Bros.

Gibson, W. (1984). Neuromancer. Ace Books.

Class lectures and previous homework assignments from this course.

AI tools were used only to help translate some words into English

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

The Replicant Question

In Blade Runner (1982) replicants are the robotic human-like creations that live amongst humans in this cyberpunk future. In Blade Runner the main character, Deckard, is tasked with “retiring” four replicants (meaning kill them) as they have escaped from an off-world planet back to Earth to find their maker. Through his journey to find the replicants however, Deckard begins to question something about replicants that he has never questioned before: their humanity. When Deckard meets replicant Rachel, the assistant to the CEO of a replicant making company, his view on replicants completely shifts as they begin to develop a romantic relationship. As the movie progresses, we see a gradual change in Deckard’s attitudes about replicants. At the beginning of the movie, it is clear that he does not think twice about whether or not they have humanity and should have the considerations that humans do. Starting when he meets Rachel throughout the rest of the movie, he begins to see that replicants are more similar to humans than he previously believed. In this movie, humanity is tested through the Voight-Kampff test which attests humanity to pupil dilations, heart rate, and respiration while being asked a series of questions. This reduces being human to the ability for your body to function in a specific way, not based on emotion, reasoning, or desires, of which many believe makes us human. Replicants are able to pass this test, underscoring that humanity is not based on what your body can or cannot do, but something deeper. It is also clear that the replicants have a desire to live, something also attributed to humanity mainly. It is from this that the watchers begin to question what it means to be human themselves. If the replicants exhibit the same traits as humans, how can we not consider them human?

The Cyberspace Question

In Neuromancer by William Gibson, the question of humanity is present in a similar way as Bladerunner. I will say, however, that humanity is more nuanced in Neuromancer than in Blade Runner because in this cyberpunk world almost everyone either has access to or has done technological modifications to their bodies. There is no test to see who is human by their bodily reactions because it is null and void. In this world, AI’s can think and feel in the same way that humans can, and constructs preserve memories of those long gone and create new personhoods for those who want to forget their past. In this world humanity is complex, not defined by an overall understanding or agreement on what it is, but rather defined by the individual and if they view themselves as human. Even Case, the main character, applies humanity to the AI’s who many do not consider human by calling Wintermute “he” instead of “it”. Neuromancer explores self outside of the physical body, bringing in an intoxicating complexity to our central question of what it means to be human.

The Humanity Question

Both works feed off of each other to understand our central question. If feel as though, however, in a way that Blade Runner is the beginning of trying to understand this question while Neuromancer is the future in which there is already an understanding that humanity cannot be defined by something as arbitrary as physical capabilities. Though Neuromancer feels more advanced than Blade Runner in this aspect, the thing that ties them together is that the question remains unanswered. There is still confusion about what the boundaries of humanity are and what that means for the way we treat human-adjacent beings. In both works we see characters forming connections with the beings that are not considered human, as well as seeing the non-human beings having thoughts, feelings, and desires that make them more human than not. Both leave us with a question, not how are these beings human, but what is humanity overall.

I, Aaliyah Bailey, attest that there was no AI usage in any portion of this work. All ideas, planning, and executions were of my own hand.

References Gibson, W. (1984) Ace Books. Scott, R. (1982). Blade Runner: The Final Cut. In vudu.com. https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/Blade-Runner-The-Final-Cut/129093