Science Fiction - Essay Example

Man Machine: The merging of Man and Technology in Art and Culture MAN MACHINE: THE MERGINE OF MAN AND TECHNOLOGY IN ART AND CULTURE Titus Rock Manickam Order No. 267672 20 January 2009 Table of Contents Introduction..3 Special Effects.3 Frankenstein's monster..5 Conclusion6 Sources.7 MAN MACHINE: THE MERGINE OF MAN AND TECHNOLOGY IN ART AND CULTURE Introduction Science fiction has led to many inventions and discoveries. Before the advent of rockets, fiction abounded with stories of man firing projectiles. Subsequently, there were stories of man himself flying, either with the help of machines or by his own efforts with prosthetic wings or wings growing out of his body. The mingling of man and machine or the creation of a being, most of the time a malevolent being that was only partly man began with Frankenstein's monster. The creation of the monster is by far the most intriguing and fascinating expression of the man-machine theme that has seen the character of Frankenstein's monster adapt and evolve with the advancement of technology. The character of the monster is successfully used before large audiences to project the tendencies and capabilities of science. From Frankenstein's monster we evolve with a genre of beings that are partly man and partly machine. These beings are subject to the same intelligence and information as man but have capabilities many times more than the ordinary albeit strongest man. They have the same success and failures as we do, they laugh, they cry, they move around, they drive, and they confront. Only their constitution is not ordinary flesh and blood (Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" (1818). Special Effects The use of special effects of the camera has added dimensionally to the creation of the man-machine. The camera gets hold of an object, its being, its motion and adds its own effects according to the techniques contained within its machinery. The use of these techniques follows the actions of the protagonist or antagonist, and accordingly they absorb the audience's attention, keeping their minds riveted in ecstasy or agony. The sequence of the events that unfold from the beginning must be realistic enough to convince the common man, even if critics' opinion are or are not favorable. The man-machine characters and events must blend so that even if either the character or event or both are grotesque they appear credible to the audience. The levels of consciousness and intelligence of the man-machines must also blend with those of the audience. The highlights of this consciousness and intelligence, or the lack of these, must be intelligible to the audience. The action of the man-machines and their characteristics often lead to their ultimate survival or extermination. The man-machine is guided by his extra-ordinary senses, or sometimes lack of sense in certain areas such as inability to hear. In this scheme, the man-machine makes up for the weakness in one area with extra strength in another. This additional strength comes from the machine part of the man comprising chips and boards elevating the man's physical resources manifold and even to timelessness. The man-machine thing has awareness about his environment and when this awareness is interrupted it creates an element of surprise. This leads to examination and analysis. The man-machine does all this. He has tremendous physical strength. He has the capacity to bounce back from destructive encounters. He has the capacity for self-cure and self-rectification. With the advancement of technology, his powers have increased (Neme: Prosthetic Head). The perfection of the human spirit is not in the man-machine. Technology will have to advance much more for this status. The loose ends of the man-machine will be covered up as technology advances. As of now, the process is very long. It consists of perfecting the behavior of man-machine to those of man himself. Knowledge and self-realization will have to be perfected. Frankenstein's monster The monster Mary Shelley created had the capability to display emotions. He saves a child and learns to read and write in a short time. But when he finds he is an object of revulsion because of his repulsive looks, his benevolence turns into hatred for society. He hates his creator, Frankenstein, and hates and kills everyone who comes across his path. Frankenstein's original idea of creating the monster was to help mankind. However, when he finds that the idea had soured, he avoids the monster (The Origin of a Myth). The creation of man-machine appears like the monster. The intended purpose of this creation is to help man. However, the results do not match this purpose. The creation of man-machine does not appear fruitful. The question is one of who dominates whom. Does man dominate the machine in him Or is it the other way around Man's dependence on machine is increasing. This dependence is revolutionary. In the present scheme, man cannot do without machines. The creation of man-machine is borne of the fact that indispensability of machines is bothering man. It bothers him enough to try and make common cause with machines by incorporating them into his being. At the same time, he is also uncertain about machines influencing him to the extent of exercising control over his emotions. The role of the machines in the context of who-dominates-who is perplexing as ever. To some extent the mix is possible and compatible. However, even a promethean thinker is bedeviled of a being that is fifty percent man and fifty percent machine (Havi Carel). The context of emotions is the main feature dodging the man-machine complex. It is also the driving force of this venture. The issue is so complex that man begs solution. However, as of now, the complexity of the issue continues to confound man. The attempt to do so is like a boat trying to rise upstream against raging waters running downstream. At best, we have the Frankenstein's monster and he is of little help. Conclusion The human physique is a combination of the body, soul and spirit. Even if man ultimately succeeds in manufacturing the body, will he be capable of producing the soul and the spirit Firstly, will science accept the theory of the soul and the spirit There is plenty of debate on this issue. The man-machine has to deal with this question to capably solve the riddle of creating a being that is equivalent to a machine with living emotions. Or will it be possible to create a man-machine with intelligence and information that can be equivalent to the dogma of emotions Once man has created a machine with enough intelligent and information inputs to correspond to human emotions, he will have crossed the bridge to accept machines as living beings. Then he will have created a machine that is as alive and tangible as human beings. This requires tremendous amount of inputs with colossal energy as of now (Neme: Prosthetic Head). Sources: Aesthetics and Interactive Art, http://www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/courses/creative-systems/papers/maggie/aesth-interactive-art.pdf Havi Carel, A phenomenology of tragedy: illness and body betrayal in The Fly, http://scan.net.au/scan/journal/display.phpjournal_id=95 Introduction, FrankensteinFilm.com, http://members.inode.at/359743/frankenstein/frankenstein-introduction.htm Kerry Douglas Dye, Review: David Cronenberg's eXistenz, http://www.leisuresuit.net/Webzine/articles/existenz_rev.shtml Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" (1818) - A Summary of Modern Criticism, http://www.victorianweb.org/previctorian/mshelley/pva229.html Nam June Paik, http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0880712.html Neme: Prosthetic Head: Intelligence, Awareness and Agency by Stelarc, http://neme.org/main/252/prosthetic-head The Dialectic of Law and Desire in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: A Lacanian Reading, http://www.press.ntu.edu.tw/ejournal/Files/Studies/14/2.pdf The Origin of a Myth: Mary Shelley's Novel Frankenstein, http://members.inode.at/359743/frankenstein/frankenstein-novel.htm Read More