“Blue Fairy make me a real boy” pleads David (Haley Joel Osment), the robot child that found a purpose, and with it the essence of life. Steven Spielberg’s motion picture Artificial Intelligence (2001) examines the spirituality behind life, and challenges what it means to be alive and “real”. Many people would argue that life is the defining trait that separates organic from inorganic matter (Judy, n.d.). AI assesses what it truly means to be alive, and whether the stuff life is made of is exclusive only to organic organisms.
The literal meaning of being alive is; organic organisms that undergo metabolic processes allowing for growth and change. On a philosophical level the meaning of life is far more convoluted. Often, to be alive is construed as; the ability to perceive sensation and stimuli, the ability to feel genuine emotions, and the ability to find a dream and follow it. For the sake of simplicity, the ideals of the quality of being alive will be referred to simply as being “real”, and will refer to all the connotations associated with the quality of having life. Through the interactions between the “Orgo” humans and “mecha” robots viewers are left questioning where the line of living and being “real” is drawn.
Pain
Living things possess the ability to perceive sensation and stimuli and react accordingly. The perception of pain is an evolutionary adaption that allows an organism to recognize damaging stimulus and escape it (Hargrove, 2010). Within the world of AI, the robots are equipped with DAS, or damage avoidance system. Martin (Jake Thomas) was David’s human brother, and during his birthday party one of his friends comments “Das ist good”, meaning that the damage avoidance system the robots come equipped with is goo...
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...m that being alive isn’t the key to living, but seeking the answers to one’s existence and purpose is. Steven Spielberg’s Artificial Intelligence successfully construed to viewers through David’s capacity to encapsulate the essence of life that the spirit of life may one day be carried on by the technically non-living.
Works Cited
Green, E. (2012, November 14). Frequently asked questions about genetic and genomic science. Retrieved from http://www.genome.gov/19016904
Hargrove, T. (2010, June 24). Seven things you should know about pain science. Retrieved from http://www.bettermovement.org/2010/seven-things-you-should-know-about-pain-science/
Judy, P. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/life
Rhoads opera house fire historical marker. (2011). Retrieved from http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-147
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Hall, Linley Erin. “Understanding Genetics DNA and RNA.” New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2011. Print. 01 Apr. 2014.
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What makes us human? What underlying characteristic differentiates humans from animals or Gods? Where does the essence of humanity lie?
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