The Movie: Blade Runner, Essay Example

The movie: “Blade Runner” examines ethical issues of the future, and today. Set in 2019, the 1982 creation is asking the question: what if humans were to play gods and create artificial life that they control? How could they ensure that human-like creatures would not want more freedom? The below essay will examine the themes of the film from the ethical perspective.

Main Ethical Issues

The main ethical issue of the film is whether or not humans have the right to create artificial life. The Replicants in the movie are controlled by humans, however, they slowly develop a moral and emotional type of humanity. The “bad” Replicants resemble “fallen angels” who discover free will, and rebel against their creators: humans. As Deckard states in the movie: “technology is either a benefit or a hazard”. This is true for the Replicants as well. The artificial life is created to serve the interest of humans, however, the machines are able to think like humans. They can make choices, and – just like humans, according to the Bible – acquire free will.

In the Bible, the explanation of ethics and morality lies in the presence of free will. This way, robots become moral agents. As in a recent article Sullins (25) states: as robots (Replicants) are employed in morally charged situations, they become moral subjects. The Replicants of the movie appear to be autonomous robots, which means that they are making moral decisions.

The Replicants in the movie “Blade Runner” have feelings and free will. Indeed, one of the main characters, Rachel question the morality of creating artificial life. She asks Deckard: “Have you ever returned a human by mistake?” She expresses here moral struggle when she tells the blade runner that it is indeed a risk. When she is tested she makes decisions like humans, because she is programmed to do so. She fails the test after more than a hundred questions, and the doctor asks Deckard how many questions it usually takes to spot a Replicants. He answers that it is usually around 20. This is because Rachel was “gifted” a past, and learned emotions, as well as rules of behavior. Her entire life is built on a lie, created by humans. She is cheated in her existence: made to believe that she is a human. For the creators, she is simply an experiment.

Another issue that is present in the movie is the question of “expiry”. The Replicants rebel because they are given a limited time to live, and they die at a certain time. When Roy goes to see his  “father”, the doctor, he is given an answer that he does not like, and this makes him create a rebellion. He is told that “a light that burns twice as bright lasts half as long”. He is called the “Prodigal son” by the doctor. But he possesses morality, as well. He tells the doctor: “I’ve done questionable things”. He suffers and feels, knowing that he is being used. He kills the doctor in revenge, and this is a human act, a result of a moral decision. Roy becomes a moral agent. Roy knows that he is dying and blames the God of biomechanics for this. He says that “all those memories will be lost”.

The use of Replicants addresses an important question: in the story, genetic engineers create humans for a purpose: to be used “off-world, as slave labor”, to colonize other planets, and are illegal to be used on Earth. Their life is restricted, and they are denied freedom. The modern society of 2019, colonizing the universe is taking on a utilitarian moral approach. They create Replicants to serve the good of the majority. However, there is a question that is neglected by the biological engineers and the leaders of the society. They do not simply create robots, but they develop artificial life. The Replicants have the ability to think, decide, and therefore become a moral subjects. As history has shown in the past, moral subjects do not respond well to oppression. They are looked at as robots, but they consider themselves humans. This statement rings even more true in the case of Rachel, who is given artificial memories. Her moral and emotional development is well ahead of others engineered. She is superior in intelligence, but also possesses knowledge of human behavior.

When reflecting on utilitarianism, the authors (Pojman and Fieser, 117) state that “the utilitarian cannot exclude the possibility of sacrificing innocent people for the greater good of humanity”. This is true in the movie, and Rachel identifies this risk in the beginning of the movie, when she meets Deckard. She and other robots are created to serve the needs and interest of the majority, and they are controlled by those whose goals seem to be more superior than theirs. There is no equality, and there are several human right issues presented by the movie.

Symbolism

The eyes are depicted in the movie in unique ways, as the instrument of seeing not only the world, but ourselves, too. The eyes of the owl that is artificial are superior to humans’. In the test that is designed to spot Replicants, the physical examination of the eyes provides results.

Biblical symbolism is also present in the film throughout. Roy Batty refers to the God of biomechanics, as the creator or father of him. He knows that his life is in the hand of scientists. He is also called the “Prodigal son” by Dr. Eldon Tyrell. It is a theme that is reflecting on the idea that humans are created and controlled by a higher intelligence. In the letter of the Ephesians (1:11), the author says: “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will”.

The above quote is in line with the philosophy of the modern society depicted in the movie. Indeed, Roy Batty accepts his death, bows his head, and a bird flies off. The bird is a clear symbol of his spirit, and this detail indicates that Batty was indeed a human. He was called to life by scientists, but became a human being. According to the Bible, Jesus was born to die for the sins of humans. Likewise, Roy lives and dies for the good of the majority.

Another symbolic theme that is present in the movie is based on human rights ethics.  There is a clear parallelism between the colonization of America and the movie’s colonization of Earth. Early settlers used slave labor to build a new civilization. They “imported” African Americans and made them live a life without freedom. White settlers looked at slaves as inferior, plainly existing for serving the good of the new society. Likewise, the people of 2019 create “slaves” to colonize the world,  and restrict the movements of Replicants, not allowing them on Earth. This is a classical example of segregation, that has occurred several times in human history. According to the message of the movie, Replicants are human beings, just like African American slaves were.

Ethical Message

The main ethical question that the film examines is whether or not humans have the right to create other beings simply to serve their own society’s purpose. The utilitarian society of 2019 does not consider individuals’  interest, and creates rules that are supposed to make the life of the majority better.  Pojman and Fieser (118) confirm “utilitarianism’s difficulty in handling issues of justice”, and this problem is clearly demonstrated by the author of the film. However, the lack of equality and social justice is also an important theme that runs through the movie. While artificial intelligence is superior to most humans’ the Replicants have a limited lifespan, have to live according to rules, and once they fulfilled the purpose they were destined for, they simply “expire”. If Replicants were simply robots, without feelings and without being moral agents, this design would work well. However, the characters of the movie are just like humans; they make decisions based on their experiences, preferences, and judgments. They are able to rebel against the order of humans, and can win the fight, as they are stronger. There were many rebellions during the centuries of slavery in America, too.  Pojman and Fieser (117)  quote Koestler when arguing against utilitarianism, and bring up the question of communism: “this logic was used by the Communists in the Soviet Union to destroy innocent people whenever it seemed to the Communist leaders that torture and false confessions served the good of the state because “you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.”. Just like the institution of slavery, communism failed, as well. The movie does not provide the audience with enough background information to determine whose decision it is to colonize the universe and increase the population of humans. The ordinary human’s views are not represented by the authors, but one can assume that there are many who disagree with the decisions. In the world of Blade Runners, special unit members, like Deckard need to make decisions based on the assumption that things are black or white. An individual is either human, so they have the right to live, or a Replicant, which means they have no right to be present on Earth, so they need to be “retired”. The rules in the movie are clearly superior to humans’ feelings.

Conclusion

The movie “Blade Runner” is extremely relevant to today’s issues of the society.  When genetic engineering is a reality, and some ideologies are considered to be superior to others, the ethical question one would ask is: who has the right to determine the future of humanity? When politicians make decisions to further exploit non-renewable energy sources instead of building systems that create renewable energy, are they really serving the interest of the majority or only the few companies who make profits of the trade? When world leaders state that western democracies are superior to Islam, are they representing the ideas of the majority?  Giving leaders the right to make moral decisions on the behalf of humans – just like technology – is either a benefit or a hazard.

Works Cited

Scott, Ridley  (director) Blade Runner. Movie.

Sullins, John. When Is a Robot a Moral Agent? International Review of Information Ethics. Vol. 6 (12/2006) 2006. Web.

King James Bible. Bible Verses About God Is in Control. Ephesians. 1:11. 2015. Web.