Chappie and Transferring Human Consciousness

Meta: I need to reflect more on the massive amounts of media that I consume. My mom suggested I start writing "book reports" on the books that I finish, so I will. These posts will be more of the stream-of-consciousness type, so expect poor writing and half-formed thoughts. 

[Warning: Chappie spoilers!] 

Chappie is the epitome of a good movie ruined by a horrid ending. What started out like Real Steel ended up being a weird mix between I, Robot and A.I.

My immediate reaction is that the transfer of human consciousness from a human brain to a machine brain is ridiculous and idiotic and absurd - this will never happen….but could it? Let me consider the objections as to why it won’t happen: 

1. The human brain is too complex to duplicate with machines. 

At best, this objection is a temporal one, as we see the advancement of computing power. I have no idea what the computing equivalent of a human brain is, but I would guess that we are close to matching it (if we haven’t already) in the next decade. 

2. Retrieving human consciousness isn’t possible. 

The little helmet that Hugh Jackman developed (a neurotransmitter, they called it) seems probably the most futuristic invention in the entire film. As far as I know, we aren’t close to being able to read minds and actual human thoughts by mere brain wave extraction. I think that we’re able to read basic emotions and feelings, but actual thoughts….and the ability to “download” an entire human consciousness? Seems unlikely. 

3. Human consciousness isn’t something we can transmit. 

Assuming we could read the thoughts of humans through machines, retrieving the “full consciousness” (whatever that means) of a human seems impossible. This is where we run into the more annoying philosophical questions that I’m totally unqualified to talk about: What is it that forms human consciousness?  Is human consciousness comprised merely of memories and experiences, or is there something else that governs it? 

Let’s think about the Inside Out world. If I wanted to transfer the consciousness of Riley to another body, we would have to move over the mounds of long term memories, but that probably wouldn’t be enough, because Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger, who have been with the Riley from the beginning, would also need to be moved, not to mention the core memories and the islands that formed them.

All this said, even if consciousness was merely an amalgamation of memories, retrieving those memories by merely reading brain waves isn’t sufficient, as no individual can simply recall all the memories they have.

Now if we view the brain as simply a hard drive containing all relevant data and had some way of reading that data, then maybe it would be possible. 

4. Worldview Issues

Needless to say, the idea that human personhood can be transferred is problematic for me. To me, the mind, body, and soul of a person are wound tightly together, and separation of these things only happens in death. But if as a Christian, I believe that consciousness continues in a new resurrected body, is it so absurd to believe that there could be consciousness in a new body while here on Earth? I don’t know. 

It’s all so absurd. I feel like I just convinced myself that the transfer of human personhood is a possibility. I’m an idiot. 

Chappie provides an interesting thought experiment, one that might prove relevant in the decades to come. 

Catching Fire - We are the People of Capitol

[No real spoilers.]

Despite all of its shortcomings, the Hunger Games series does a phenomenal job of painting a picture of gross injustice so simple that children can grasp yet so deep that adults are affected deeply emotionally. I watched Catching Fire yesterday and the first third of the movie which shows the oppression of the Districts deeply moved me. I found myself teetering between seething anger and real sadness, evidenced by that funny feeling in my nose that I get when I want to cry. I remember thinking to myself, "I hate injustice."

Then the realization hit me: This injustice isn't even real! It's a made up story that I actually paid to watch. While there are millions that are living under similar or worse oppression, we wealthy, privileged Americans pay to be entertained by a depiction of the very real hell that others live and die in. In a very real sense, we are the people of Capitol watching the rest of the world play the Hunger Games. Sure, we watch some Youtube videos about poverty and injustice from time to time and pity those poor souls that were born in unfortunate circumstances, but then we clean our guilty moral palates with a few uplifting, emotionally manipulative videos from Upworthy and have our "faith in humanity restored". We are the feasting elites of Capitol, gorging ourselves with the pleasures of wealth, only enduring the short, periodic vomit-like discomfort of remembering the suffering of the world to satisfy our nagging conscious so that we can continue to gorge ourselves with more pleasure.

While it's easy to laugh at and condemn the thoughtless extravagance of the people of Capitol - embodied by the hilariously over-the-top makeup and fashion - and their disturbing indifference to injustice, if we fail to realize that we are in many ways the people of Capitol, I think that we miss one of the few things that the Hunger Games series has to offer. Hidden in the Hunger Game's adolescent fluff is a rare, surprisingly poignant insight into what wealth might look like to the destitute poor and the oppressed. We feel Katniss and Peeta's amazement of tons of delicious food, their simultaneous disgust and anger at the reality that there are millions of starving people despite the excess of food, and their eye-opening awe of Capitol's bright lights and technology. Further reflection forces us to rethink the things we've always taken for granted, be grateful for the undeserved wealth we have, and love those less fortunate than us.

As Thanksgiving and Christmas near, these are increasingly familiar and popular themes. But if it takes TV specials and the sound of Salvation Army bells for our annual reminder of poverty and injustice, we are no better than the people of Capitol, ignoring the hungry and oppressed around us for all but one month of the year.

As with everything I post, I'm not posting this because I have it figured out. I'm a guilty yet convicted hypocrite, and these were some of my thoughts. Let's keep each other accountable.