Film Blade Runner: How Humans Create Themselves and the Machines that Mimic their Imperfections - Essay Example

What is the Real Difference? How Humans Create Themselves and the Machines that Mimic their Imperfections How an individual acts reflect what is inside the inner self. Humans express emotions that exhibit a view of their personality and the way of living. They see the world as their home wherein memories are built to last forever. The movie Blade Runner was able to show the reality that humans still have not discovered the essence of living each and every day of their lives meaningfully. The replicants in the movie serve as a mirror, or a reflection of the wrongdoings done by humanity for their own survival not minding the impact that their actions might create to those people who do not wish to live a life that is full of complexities.

As a matter of fact, humans are now acting like replicants because all they do now is to fight over things, which they think will prolong life when in truth, the life that they have will always be impermanent. Some humans have instilled in their minds that all means must be done to last longer in this world including violence, betrayal, and worst, the killing of another life. In the movie, the main reason why the replicants came back to the earth was to search for their creator, a man named Tyrell who has refused to extend the replicants’ lives for the reason that their lives are only meant to last for four years.

Tyrell's refusal angered the replicants, which has led them to confusion and despair. Although replicants are manmade creations, they do possess emotions, emotions than causes them to feel things that most humans also feel whenever they reach to a point where the right to live gets to become compromised due to some unexpected circumstances (e.g., sickness, fortuitous events, war etc.). If placed in the same shoes with the replicants, common sense will provoke a human being to do whatever it takes to survive despite knowing that the life they have is never theirs and that no accurate experiment or creation can hinder life's undetermined expiration.

In other words, in this planet, no one is in control of life's longevity not even science or humanity. Humans fear death; it is one thing that most people do take seriously. The idea of death then relates to the existence of the soul, or the immaterial entity. An individual's physical body is believed to be separate from the so called self, a notion, which is linked to what people call human nature. Human nature tells us that some things are destined to happen and that all human beings have a purpose in this world.

Maybe some individuals consider themselves supreme, which leads them to the exercise of authority and power. Humans perceive themselves as the highest amongst all creations in the universe, which is in contrary to what the Australian philosopher, Peter Singer believes. Singer (qtd. in Kemerling) argues that there is no difference between all the species of the earth and that even animals do have the right to live in this planet just like the way humans do. He has asserted that non-human animals deserve to be treated in a way that will not violate their right to live.

In the movie, the character of Harrison Ford, which was Deckard, was tasked to kill the replicants. Basically, it was his job to find all four replicants and end their lives before they get to cause harm. Now, if one will set aside the idea that these replicants are harmful to society, does Deckard has the right to kill them? Do these replicants deserve to be killed in spite of their willingness to live longer in this world? The four replicants in the movie are symbols of man's cruelty to the other inhabitants of the earth.

Based on Singer's arguments, it does not seem ethical to take the life of another living entity; hence, this leads to an assumption that Deckard's job can be likened to that of a hired killer who gets money out of committing the violent crime of murder. Now, is there actually a difference between how humans act and how the replicants respond to life's happenings? The movie Blade Runner highlights how the shaping of one's self varies in every entity whether human or non-human. It provides a picture of how certain life experiences contribute to the formation of oneself.

For instance, the replicants experienced living a normal life. They had emotions or feelings that made them realize that life is worth it, something that most of us still have not realized up to this time. The replicants had their questions about life and on why it has become too short for them. Most importantly, in the end, there was deep realization in regard to how the sudden end of life can take all memories. Even at the end part of the movie, what has remained unclear is the probability that even Deckard is a replicant.

This relates to the concept on skepticism, or the conception that individuals do not have the capacity to discover anything about the reality (Velasquez 214). Eventually, this skepticism led to the development existentialism, which has been linked to the feeling of anxiety. Existentialism assumes that people can find the self through their own choice and free will (Velasquez 179). The movie was able to convey a message that an individual creates his/her own identity, but this identity is shaped by certain life encounters by making use of the replicants as its medium.

Thus, if an individual is full of hatred or anxiety, it may have been caused by a particular experience, which may have motivated an individual to do actions that will enable him/her to gain protection from the impending effects of that experience. Hence, if one is being chased by death, better yet leave unforgettable memories, so that when the time comes, those who have remained alive will remember not the things anger has brought, but the things that will make one realize that life is truly meaningful.

References Kemerling, G. “Singer, Peter (1946-).” philosophypages.com. philosophypages.com, 31 Dec. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. . Velasquez, Manuel. Philosophy: A Text with Readings. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.