Ghost in the Shell Essay

    The 1995 film Ghost in the Shell explores the central theme of what truly makes us human found in other works that we have covered this semester such as A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Blade Runner. In fact, the character Pris shows this quality best by borrowing a line from the same philosopher Rene Descartes that created the format of this essay; “I think therefore I am.” 

There are many arguments as to what element of ourselves is the quintessential quality of human life. When tying in the idea of robotic technology so advanced that the distinction between man and machine is impossible to tell, the foundation of robots as previously imagined becomes irrelevant. Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics” assumes a time when humans are above cybernetic technology which isn’t found in Ghost in the Shell. Therefore, trying to balance existence for the protection and sacrifice to humans that Asimov expected for machines is impossible.

As much as I would like to think any bit of human should trump the robot characteristics in the scenario where we are part human and part machine, that is not the case. If robots are beneath humans or human qualities, the enforcement of Asimov’s laws of robotics still applies. Major Motoko Kusanagi lives this balance where she has an artificial body but an organic brain and spine but is amplified by technological abilities such as hacking into the world around her through plugs in her neck just like the characters in The Matrix can. However, Kusanagi shares her emotions and doubts, another foundation of Descartes, to prove that she is more than just a weapon for Section 9. 

Ghost in the Shell has many instances of violence between robots and humans and explores the balance and any difference between the two entities. Just as many of the characters in the movie, when technology catches up to human intelligence it can be very difficult to tell the difference. While the film has plenty of instances of a physical struggle between man and machine, Kusanagi has an internal struggle between these two parties. It is hard for her to distinguish an exact identity, especially once the Puppet Master enters the fray. She fears interaction with him until they meet after the fight with the tank, only for the Puppet Master to reveal he had already interacted with her on the boat. He knows about Kusanagi’s identity crisis, leading to their merger to create an even more powerful being. The ability to think, but also to have emotion is what makes someone human. However, that is where the greatest power lies in our species. 

Humans are meant to have boots on the ground and build on the soil we roam. Once we try to become a part of our creations, taking away our characteristics of life and replacing them with machines makes us less and less of a true person. Having the enhanced ability in combat to travel across networks seems like a logical part of evolution to some, but I think it partly influences the internal struggle that Kusanagi experiences. Once we become trapped as robots, we can no longer serve and protect the human side. The violence between Sections 6 and 9 with the use of cyborgs violates the first law. A cyborg serving as the leader of an assault team means humans cannot even attempt to give orders, violating the second law. The only law of robotics followed in Ghost in the Shell is the third one, as Kusanagi and the Puppet Master merge to protect their existence where their human elements were fading. In the end, Asimov could not have imagined a world that the characters of Ghost in the Shell experience and could not have created the proper laws to contain the marriage of man and machine.