Analysis of the movie Alphaville in comparison to today's society - Essay Example

In this film, Lemmy Caution invades the scientific city of Alphaville with a range of objectives, which partly includes the assassination of the professor von Braun (Godard). The professor creates a world that outlaws emotions and punishes by killing people found to have succumbed to these “illogical” qualities. Gradually, the entire world of Alphaville is withdrawn from natural human qualities by replacing emotions with scientific concepts. The result is a world that gravitates towards self-destruction, and which becomes a threat to other societies that do not subscribe to its own laws.

This film is a reminder of some of the perils of scientific developments. The past decades have seen rapid developments in the world of technology as scientists seek all possible ways to increase efficiency and effectiveness in all discourses of human concern. Generally, the development of a system that relies on scientific knowledge might be assumed a positive, even laudable step. However, such developments acquire negative qualities whenever they invade into the natural discourses that are controlled by the natural qualities of humanity.

Technically, the society of Alphaville as controlled by the computer program challenges the basic tenets that support human emotion and compassion. In some sense, human beings and machinery are made into a uniform continuum that must exist in perfect harmony according to the strict boundaries provided by the professor. It might be important to consider the effects of increased reliance on scientific concepts of developments on the society. Past and recent analyses of social trends have revealed a worrying increase in the cases of family disintegration and divorce in the world.

The trends shows that the most developed parts of the world are more affected by the collapse of the family unit as compared to the developing parts of the world. For instance, statistics indicate that the family unit in the United States has always been under the constant menace of collapse (Wells and McFadden 59). This reality could be explained in form of the pressure that derives from the world of logic and science. Scientific progress, as shown in Alphaville has the potential of disrupting the harmonious survival of humanity.

As such, it becomes important to exercise caution when embracing systems that are significantly reliant on the laws of science. By their very nature, the laws of science are limited and narrow. They cannot comprehend the complexity of human nature. In order for these laws to govern human existence, they must fight against systems that cannot be reduced into clear theories. Matters of love, care and compassion cannot be quantified. Value judgments have metaphysical qualities in nature. They cannot lend themselves to explanations founded on the laws of logic.

Due to this fact, it becomes necessary to investigate the place of science within the basic survival of humanity. Essentially, it is impossible for science to destroy the governing laws of human compassion, emotions, and feelings without destroying the entire humanity. One of the issues that are discussed within the concept of science is its role in the process of human development. Some social researchers have identified a growing gap between the world of science and nature. Science dehumanizes humanity by promoting the laws of logic above those of emotions.

Warfare, human abuses, and other catastrophic occurrences have been blamed on the laws of