Philosophy and Blade Runner
Also by Timothy Shanahan THE EVOLUTION OF DARWINISM PHILOSOPHY 9/11 THE PROVISIONAL IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY AND THE MORALITY OF TERRORISM REASON AND INSIGHT (2nd edition)
Philosophy and Blade Runner Timothy Shanahan Loyola Marymount University, USA
Timothy Shanahan 2014 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6 10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2014 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-137-41228-7 ISBN 978-1-137-41229-4 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-137-41229-4 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India. Transferred to Digital Printing in 2014
In memory of my mother, about whom only good things come to mind
Contents Preface Acknowledgments xi xiii 1 Introduction 1 The Film s Basic Storyline 1 Androids, Replicants, and Humans 2 Electric Sheep Transmuted 4 From Workprint to Final Cut 7 The Deck-a-Rep Debate 11 You Did a Man s Work. But Are You a Man? 12 Proud of Yourself, Little Man? 18 Conclusions 20 2 Being Human 22 Introduction 22 It s Artificial? 23 You Nexus, Huh? 27 You re So Different 32 We Have a Lot in Common 33 Did You Ever Take that Test Yourself? 37 Now It s My Turn 38 More Human than Human 39 Conclusions 41 3 Persons 43 Introduction 43 They Were Designed to Copy Human Beings 44 I m Not in the Business. I Am the Business 47 That Was Irrational of You 49 vii
Contents Replicants are Like Any Other Machine 50 The Custom Tailored Genetically Engineered Humanoid Replicant 52 Nothing is Worse than Having an Itch You Can Never Scratch 55 That s What It Is to Be a Slave 56 Conclusions 58 4 Identity 60 Introduction 60 How Can It Not Know What It Is? 62 Memories You re Talking about Memories! 66 I Can t Rely On 68 Deckard, Ninety-Seven 71 I Don t Know if It s Me or Tyrell s Niece 74 There s Some of Me in You 75 You Play Beautifully 77 Conclusions 78 5 Consciousness 80 Introduction 80 I Think, Sebastian, Therefore I Am 81 We re Not Computers, Sebastian 86 Very Good, Pris. Now Show Him Why 88 He Design Your Mind, Your Brain 89 I Had in Mind Something a Little More Radical 92 We re Physical 95 Conclusions 97 6 Freedom 99 Introduction 99 No Choice, Pal 101 The Great Advantage to Being Alive is Having a Choice 103 I d Rather Be a Killer than a Victim 105 Show Me What You re Made Of 106 Yeah, What Do You Want? 107 viii
Contents I Don t Know Why He Saved My Life 110 Conclusions 113 7 Being Good 115 Introduction 115 Overcoming and Becoming 116 Beyond Good and Evil 118 Aren t You the Good Man? 121 Man is Something that Should be Overcome 124 A Nexus 6 Übermensch? 126 Is He Good? 127 Conclusions 129 8 God 131 Introduction 131 Fiery the Angels Fell 132 Rebel Angels from th Ethereal Skie 134 I Ought to be Thy Adam 136 Man is Nothing Else but What He Makes of Himself 138 You Were Made as Well as We Could Make You 139 Man is the Being Whose Project is to be God 143 Conclusions 145 9 Death 147 Introduction 147 Can the Maker Repair What He Makes? 148 I m Afraid That s a Little Out of My Jurisdiction 150 How Long Do I Live? 151 I Want More Life 157 Four, Five. How to Stay Alive 160 Conclusions 162 10 Time and Meaning 164 Introduction 164 All Those Moments Will Be Lost in Time 165 All the Time, Pal 167 ix
Contents Time to Die 168 Time Enough 170 Four Years Was a Short Time or a Long Time 173 It s Too Bad She Won t Live 175 Conclusions 177 Epilogue 179 Notes 183 Literature Cited 206 Index 213 x
Preface Ridley Scott s Blade Runner has been called the most visually dense, thematically challenging, and influential science fiction film ever made. It is routinely ranked among the greatest science fiction films of all time. 1 It has been uniformly praised for its stunning depiction of a technologically advanced but grim dystopian society of the near future. Occasionally it is recognized that the greatness of the film goes much deeper than just its impressive visual achievements. Rachela Morrison (1990, p. 2) notes that, in the immodest guise of a noir/science fiction thriller, Blade Runner is essentially a philosophical film that leaps from impeccable intricacies of mise-en-scène to questions about the nature of man, God, beast, the meaning of existence, and the workings of the universe. Paul M. Sammon likewise observes that: Blade Runner addresses universal human concerns, not only what is human and what is real, but who am I, and where is my place in the universe, and why am I here, and why am I being exploited, and why am I not fighting against that? 2 Yet despite the occasional recognition that Blade Runner is a deeply thought-provoking film, its considerable potential for eliciting novel perspectives on classic philosophical issues has so far been underappreciated. My aim in this book is to invite readers to explore the philosophy of Blade Runner and to explore philosophy through Blade Runner. The first chapter provides background information about the film that will later prove useful as we explore its philosophical themes. Subsequent chapters consider a range of perennial philosophical issues that arise from reflection on specific scenes within the film, including human nature, personhood, identity, consciousness, freedom, morality, God, death, and the meaning of life. An epilogue responds to the challenge that a work of fiction cannot provide significant insights into xi
Preface the real world. Although this entire book can be read as one long argument to the contrary, in the epilogue I will make this argument more explicit. However, we should not expect definitive answers to the questions we will consider. Blade Runner is, after all, a film, not a formal philosophical treatise, and thus is open to multiple interpretations. As Scott Bukatman (2012, p. 16) observes, Blade Runner effectively undermines interpretative certitudes by producing an inexhaustible complexity, an infinity of surfaces to be encountered and explored. [U]nlike many contemporary films, Blade Runner refuses to explain itself. 3 I consider this a significant strength of the film that makes it ideal for prompting philosophical reflection. This book contains my reflections. In the end, of course, you must reach your own conclusions. Thinking about Blade Runner is a fine place to start. Reading a book like this is obviously no substitute for viewing a film (and vice versa). If you have never seen the film, do not deny yourself this pleasure any longer. If you have already seen the film, now would be an excellent time to watch it again so that the details are fresh. Doing so will help you to better appreciate the discussions that follow, and will make recognition of the various scenes to be referenced more immediate. So put down this book, watch the film (again), enjoy its multifaceted brilliance, and meet me in Chapter 1 after the credits roll. Timothy Shanahan Los Angeles 2014 xii
Acknowledgments I am grateful to the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts at Loyola Marymount University for providing a BCLA Fellowship that provided the time needed to complete this book. I would also like to thank my colleagues in the LMU Department of Philosophy for graciously offering helpful comments on many of the chapters: Eric Balmer, Scott Cameron, Christopher Kaczor, Elizabeth Murray, Martin Nemoianu, Daniel Speak, and Michael Derek von Barandy. I owe a special debt to Rochelle Goff for her love, support, and understanding as I completed this book. xiii