Abstract
This chapter engages the work of Descartes and how ideas of mind/body dualism have been presented in science fiction. I discuss critiques of the Cartesian model, particularly in regard to consciousness. Is the mind/consciousness/soul separate from the body? If so, can the body exist without the soul—for example, a clone (The Island, House of Scorpion)? Conversely, can there be a thing such as pure consciousness (Westworld, Her, Star Trek) that exists either as an avatar or as a computer program? Both of these conversations bring ideas of personhood into question, and the question of soul-having—specifically, is it inherent in a person?
Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay
To mould me man? Did I solicit thee
From darkness to promote me?
—John Milton, Paradise Lost (1667)
Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed?
—Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)
Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.
—The Bible, NRSV (Gen 2.7; The wordplay in Hebrew “adam” (human being) and “adamah” (earth or arable ground) connects humankind with the soil from which it was formed. “Human nature is not a duality of body and soul; rather God’s breath animates the dust and it becomes a single living being” [NRSV: PS 104.29; Job 34:14–15]. Or is God’s breath indicative of a soul animating the form?)
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Notes
- 1.
The full title is Meditations on First Philosophy in Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between the Soul and Body Are Demonstrated.
- 2.
It is possible Koestler was influenced by Spinoza, who also takes issues with the binary nature of Cartesian dualism. Spinoza argued that body and mind were both extensions of God or nature, taking the monist position: “There can be no idea in the mind which excludes the existence of the body, for such an idea is contrary to the mind (Prop. 10).” See Ethics, 2017 [1883].
- 3.
This could also be compared to Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) in which one personality “forgets” the actions of the other, a condition believed to be instigated by trauma.
- 4.
Again, the “cornerstone” of a Host is their foundational backstory or purpose, often couched in a moment or turning point of trauma. Ford argues that everyone has such a cornerstone, and it is from that we craft our own narratives.
- 5.
- 6.
In the comic and animated (1995) film, her name is Motoko Kusanagi. In the 2017 film her name is anglicized to Mira Killian. I will keep to the rank title Major for this conversation, as she is most often referred to by her title in both versions.
- 7.
This is a Dune prequel published posthumously after the death of Frank Herbert, written by his son.
- 8.
I go much more into disability in Chap. 7.
- 9.
Characters from Marvel’s Captain America, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Star Trek: The Next Generation, respectively.
- 10.
The Bible has numerous descriptions of humankind in dualistic (mind/soul/spirit and body) terms. See Genesis 2:7–8; Matthew 10:28; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Romans 8:11 just to name a few. The Qur’an is less explicit, as it was written with an understanding that one already had familiarity with biblical narratives, but also repeats the Genesis story of “breathing” into newly created man when God orders Iblis (Satan) to bow before him (Surah 15.28).
- 11.
It is interesting to note, at this point, that Scarlet Johansson not only plays the Major in the 2017 Ghost in the Shell, but has played a type of posthuman character in The Island (a clone), Her (an AI operating system), and Lucy (a psychokinetically enhanced woman). It has been suggested that her physical appearance is Western culture’s ideal model of aesthetic beauty and desirability, which provides an interesting overlay to questions of personhood each film raises (see Campbell 2007).
- 12.
Although a term coined in the seventeenth century, hylozoism is the theory that all matter is in some sense alive.
- 13.
The term “jack in” is attributed to William Gibson’s Neuromancer (1984).
- 14.
Although not necessary for his program to run, magnetic containment fields (like forcefield barriers) give holograms the appearance and feel of solid matter, according to Star Trek technological lore. This allows him to pick up objects and make physical contact with his patients.
- 15.
Also a problem with Joi, the AI holo-companion of K in Blade Runner 2049. Joi’s existence relies on her hard drive, usually located in the program console of K’s apartment. When he uploads her into a portable emitter, she is able to travel with him but when the emitter is destroyed she is too.
- 16.
The term “sandbox” in computer programs refers to (a) experimental development of programs and testing arenas, and (b) a game engine that allows the user to build, customize, and modify game elements. Both are appropriate uses of the term regarding the Doctor.
- 17.
The Holodeck is the recreational pastime through many Star Trek iterations, essentially an immersive VR world which has tactile and sensory attributes, allowing one to play out any number of scenarios from experiencing a recreation of a historical event, playing out a character from your favorite novel, vacationing on an exotic beach, or exploring sexual fantasies.
- 18.
I elaborate on this idea, and the development of a soul, in the fifth chapter with the example of the Cylons who are also made in model-batches, but develop their own personalities as they live their lives.
- 19.
We see anecdotal evidence of this throughout the Star Trek canon, not only from Vulcans like Tuvok (Voyager), Sarek (TOS, TNG, Discovery), or Saavik (Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock) but also those who are not 100% Vulcan. Spock (TOS) was half human-half Vulcan, and Michael Burnham (Discovery) was a human raised on Vulcan. Both Spock and Burnham have been shown as children being educated in the “skill domes” of the Vulcan Learning Center.
- 20.
IBM unveiled their first commercial quantum computer in January 2019.
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Gittinger, J.L. (2019). Embodied and Non-bodied Selves. In: Personhood in Science Fiction. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30062-3_4
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