Like many films that are ahead of their time,Ghost in the Shell became an ever-growing monument. Its a cult classic that will slowly but surely become more popular as humanity advances into its next stage of technological, cultural, or social development.
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Ghost in the Shell, the 1995 original based on the manga, paints a world where cyborgs run amok and artificial intelligence has become smart enough to argue like ancient Greek philosophers. for that matter, a lot of the dialogue inGhost in the Shellwill haunt the viewers and challenge their perception of existence. These are 10 of those quotes.
The very glue that defines a person or even a society is a record of their past, without history or memory, a sentient being is nothing.
Yet, memory even when jotted down on paper or recorded, is still hard to define. At best, theyre hazy sometimes inaccurate translations of the electrical signals in the brain. Or it could be just the Puppet Master trying to argue that his cognitive functions are better.
Charles Darwin will definitely agree with this though he might take it back once he sees who said it. It was the Puppet Master, the main villain ofGhost in the Shell. Being an A.I. who became sentient and conscious, some might consider it a new species.
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Except its more like an anomaly of nature than something nature actually intended unless nature intended for humans to create an immortal being that can break all its rules. To a certain extent, however, the Puppet Masters words ring true, its the change is often the catalyst for growth.
This one might sound like it came from the Puppet Master except Major Motoko Kusanagi said this herself. Shes an individual who apparently has changed too many cybernetic bodies and with too many augmentations that shes become more machine than human.
Its true that shes perfect in every way but the cost of itis her own biological shackle. Thats why Major is often at a conundrum she might be free to change and have an unlimited growth ceiling but the room for improvement goes only as big as her humanity allows it.
Yet again, we have another quote here of the Puppet Master debating the foundations of humanity. Much like how Morpheus argues to Neo inThe Matrix that human consciousness is nothing more than electrical signals in the brain, biological beings are nothing more than programs.
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All of us started off as nothing more than mere DNA smears who are predestined to survive and propagate our race. At least, thats what the essence of biological beings is, according to the Puppet Master. One heck of an oversimplification but the frightening part is that it might be true.
A human is only a sentient because of its consciousness and self-awareness, something that separates it from other animals. Then along came an A.I. invention, the Puppet Master who was able to create its own awareness and consciousness by itself.
It essentially invalidated the status of a human being as the top player in the food chain. The Puppet Master was merely the first of its kind yet its already more intelligentand more resourceful than most human beings. Human hubris and ego simply cannot take that.
Speaking of hubris, ambition is also one of the things that make humans more peculiar compared to other apes. Because no other ape would dare explore the huge dark death sentence beyond Earth nor would it try to create something smarter than it.
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Pushing our limits, whether physical, mental, or social has made modern society possible and thistendency is bound tobecome more exponential in the future. In the film, its also the reason why the Major is chasing a murderous A.I.
Oh butGhost in the Shellis not just about existentialism, but nihilism as well. Straight out of Batous mouth is something that minimizes the struggles of each individual person in their effort to gain knowledge during their lives.
Not even the smartest scientist or the richest man can have all the most valuable treasure in the world, knowledge. Unless of course, an immortal sentient being existed that can actually accumulate all knowledge, inGhost in the Shells case, that would be the Puppet Master. Explains why its the perfect villain for humanity.
Thats a quirky contemporary way of saying that a dead organic human body is a sad sight. Its courtesy of Batou again. When one lives in a world where human consciousness can easily be transferred into a new shell or body, an organic human is bound to be a precious commodity.
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The Major perfectly explains this notion perfectly well with her ennui. Since her consciousness is easily salvaged, it seems less precious or meaningful than a fragile human being who still depends on a flimsy fatty organ for their being.
Thats one cynical way to look at the Majors predicament. Shes a cyborg and a perfect one at that, except her idea of herself has gotten hazy and conflicting to the point where she no longer considers or considered herself human.
This is easily shown when she has no qualms on being naked in front of her comrades as its technically not her original body anymore. Her whole being has gotten reduced to a transferrable consciousness one tends to suffer an identity crisis due to this.
Ah, the age-old question, what is life? Its a good query to ask a cyborg in hopes of them frying their circuitry, which is probably why the Puppet Master fired this shot. Surprisingly, the question also works well at making organics freeze and scratch their heads.
Its not practically important question nor its answer that groundbreaking to mankind but it grows ever more prevalent as humans stray farther away from their animalistic humble beginnings. Just one of the many questions thatGhost in the Shellassaults its viewers with no answer in sight.
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Sid Natividad likes movies so much as to choose the risk of urinary tract infection than miss a few minutes of post-credit Easter eggs, that shows the extent of his dedication. He is well-versed in multiple fandoms that gravitate toward the edgy and nihilistic spectrum of the internet culture. Outside of being a writer for Screen Rant, he also works as a journalist and has risked his life for mere warzone photos.
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10 Quotes From The Show That Will Stay With Us Forever - KYR News