Man and Machine

Today, I was reading “The Power of Myth” by Joseph Campbell and a interesting argument was presented in the book:

Moyers: Machines help us to fulfill the idea that we want to make the world in our image, and we want it to be what we think it ought to be.

 Campbell: Yes. But there comes a time when the machine begins to dictate you. 

 The book goes on to explain how the modern story telling surrounding technology has been one where man has to battle with the new technologies he invents. In creating their own technological environment, man has stumbled upon a new problem that they are becoming a slave to the new world of their own making. In this new world, the computer has replaced nature as the primary driving force of man. Guns and bombs are the new wrath of god as most diseases in the advanced world are being conquered one by one. We see this struggle play out in several different ways in video games, t.v., and movies.

Star Wars: Star Wars probably was the first major movie that saw man trying to break from the technological world view. On one side you have the empire who built a massive industrial machine run by a humanoid computer, Darth Vader. Through the use of cold reasoning and extreme desire for order in the collapse of the Old Republic, the Empire decided to build the Death Star. Meanwhile, the Jedi are a group that is in touch with the natural and spiritual forces and wish to live in harmony with the universe rather than trying to control it. The Jedi, however, were destroyed as they tried to desperately unite their spiritual ideals unite themselves to the social and technological machine of the Republic. Here we see the struggle between two very opposing views of civilization clash, one founded on nature and the other on technology.

Black Mirror: A more modern telling of the story of the struggle between man and machine is Black Mirror. Several episodes show how technology influences society when it is given priority in dominance. Some episodes show how technology ruins the human person’s authenticity either through a society run by social media or one where everyone is given a memory chip that records their life. Other times we see how technology can lead to tyrannical behavior such as when one game designer holds his digital clones captive through intimidation and unspeakable tortures. All in all, technology is something that can bring out the darkest parts of human behavior or even erase a person’s humanity completely.

Overwatch: Overwatch was once the most popular FPS game winning multiple awards. The game showcases some of the best examples of the problems of technology and how it can disrupt the very fabric of society. The Omnics, creatures given artificial intelligence that seems to give them a sense of self awareness, rebel against the humans who created and enslaved them. This brings to light that human beings need to consider the moral implications of the way they treat the technology they create, or even non- human animals, as not mere things, but part of the human personality. The Omnics are the best example of  this moral implication as they are made with human personalities embedded in the programming. The next group is the underground gang known as Talon who wants to use technology to enhance humanity to bring it to its new evolution. For Talon’s main scientist, Moira, there is not ethical boundary besides this evolution. No matter how much pain it will cause the world, her belief is that humanity should, and in the case of Doomfis must, evolve no matter the cost.

There are tons of other media that showcase this struggle between man and machine from the Matrix to Neir Automata to I-Robot. However, the case always seems to be the question of man living with technology without becoming assimilated into it to such an extent they loose their humanity. In Star Trek, this became the centeral struggle with the race of aliens called the Borg which preferred to live life as machines with no individuality, and by prefer, force others to assimilate to this way of life. This may be one of the greatest struggles. Will the new technological age allow people to opt out or does it force assimilation against our will?