Cyberpunk, the Postglobal and the Posthuman

Within the theme of cyberpunk, the future is not just about new technology. It is about how technology will change the basic definition of being human. An article in Gridmark Magazine says science fiction makes people think about what being “human” really is since technology can copy, modify, or replace parts of a human (Jones, A. 2026) Two examples that explain and portray this are Blade Runner (1982) by Ridley Scott and Neuromancer (1984) by William Gibson. In Blade Runner, there are replicants which are artificial humans who are treated like property although they show emotion, have memories, and fear death. These are all things that humans do and replicants can be mistaken for humans. In Neuromancer, there is a thin line between human and machine which is on the brink of being crossed by artificial intelligence, cyberspace, and a specific example of Dixie Flatline. Looking at these together shows and explains one of cyberpunk’s main concerns, which is that being human is not just about biology, but political and is defined by who is in power and control.

Replicants and Emotional Humanity in Blade Runner

In Blade Runner, the replicants are not supposed to be mistaken for humans because they were manufactured. In the movie, these replicants came off as more human than some of the actual humans in the movie. They formed relationships, experienced fear, and knew that they only had a set limited time to live. Because of the little time they did have, they were desperate to live the lives they did have which is a very human type of mindset. Throughout the movie, there was a test that was designed to distinguish between humans and replicants. This was called the Voight-Kanpff test. Using this test showed that the definition of being human was not clearly defined because in some instances the test struggled. Although the replicants were not technically human biologically, emotionally, they responded as humans. This brought up morality questions such as should they be treated as humans even when replicants show more emotion than some humans?

Artificial Intelligence and Digital Consciousness in Neuromancer

In Neuromancer, determining whether human or not is explored is a little different. Instead of using Artificial humans, the focus is on Artificial Intelligence and digital consciousness. A major example is Dixie Flatline who is a ROM construct that is based on a real hacker that had already died. Case, another character, plugs Dixie in to speak to him and Dixie talks back as a real alive person using his memories, personality, and knowledge from his life. Dixie is not alive, but acts as a copy of someone’s mind that is trapped. Although Dixie communicates about his past life and acts as himself, he cannot grow nor self reinvent as a human can. Although this is different from Blade Runner in the identity of a human, another question of whether or not memories and intelligence can count as a person? Furthermore if in order to be classified as a human, a living consciousness that can be developed is required?

Power, Control, and the Redefinition of Humanity

Using Blade Runner and Neuromancer together shows that cyberpunk is not just worried about the advancement of technology, but redefining what it means to be human. In Blade Runner, replicants have complex emotions and can have human experiences, but are treated as property and because they were made and manufactured by a corporation. In Neuromancer, the line between human and machine is blurry because if a person can be copied into digital data, what is it classified as? Both Neuromancer and Blade Runner show that in cyberpunk, being human is not as simple as biology and origin. It is not just based on whether someone feels, thinks, or experiences things, but it is defined by whoever society deems to have the power and control to define “real humans.” Putting these together, shows one of cyberpunk’s main concerns of advancements of technology does not necessarily mean things will be more ethical, but can create more ways for people to be exploited, controlled, or denied humanity.

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References

Jones, A. S. (2026, February 6). What does it mean to be human in a sci-fi world? Grimdark Magazine. https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-human-in-a-sci-fi-world/ Scott, R. (Director). (1982). Blade Runner [Film]. Warner Bros. Gibson, W. (1984). Neuromancer. Ace Books.

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