Technoscience and Humanity in the Elysium Film

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Table of Contents

Proposal
Abstract
Introduction
Material and Non-material Technologies
Transhumanism
Artificial Intelligence
Humanism, Ethics, and Morality in Society
Conclusion
References

Proposal

The issues of technological advancement that trigger a rapid development of artificial intelligence, robotic technologies, and transhumanism have significant relevance to contemporary society. The rate at which the advancements occur and the tendencies of their concentration in the hands of the wealthy corporations impose social, political, ethical, and humanistic concerns. The problem of technoscientific domination that might hinder social justice, equality, and humanistic principles has been addressed in the works of art with a particular futuristic view. In particular, the movie Elysium produced in 2013, introduces the perspective of the creators on the future of humanity that is likely to suffer from the aftermaths of unjust distribution of power over technological advancement.

As the movie illustrates, the mere availability of advanced technologies that are capable of curing diseases, ensure longevity, and maintain youth is not sufficient to eliminate all humanity’s problems. On the contrary, it might be a cause of significant disparities in the quality of life, safety, health, prosperity, and morality. The robots and other artificial intelligence products use the poor in the interests of the dominated wealthy population that lives on a giant spaceship. The citizens of the Earth are forced to live in poverty and work as slaves to gain enough money to buy a ticket to the dreamt spaceship. Such a division of resources, injustice in governance principles, striving inequality in access to health care, favorable living and working conditions, and humanistic and ethical treatment between different classes is an important issue to explore. Therefore, the proposed paper will use the film Elysium as an illustration of the possible effects of technoscience on humanity in the future.

The paper will aim to argue that due to the dependence of technoscientific development on economic means, the future impact of artificial intelligence, transhumanism, and biotechnologies will harmfully affect humanity. The adverse outcomes of uncontrolled technoscientific advancement are likely to include socio-economic and healthcare inequality, the concentration of political power and resources in the hands of the wealthy, and the decay of humanistic values and morality.

Abstract

The paper analyzes the impact of technoscience on humanity through the lenses of the themes introduced in the 2013 film Elysium. The purpose of the paper is to argue that humans might suffer from the harmful effects of technoscience if the resources and information are concentrated in the hands of corrupted elites. The paper introduces the problem by connecting the adverse outcomes of the biased implementation of technologies with the scenes and themes of the movie. Further, material and non-material technologies are discussed to identify their benefits and possible disadvantages if applied inadequately. Moreover, the concepts of transhumanism and artificial intelligence are analyzed in the context of the corrupted social order to draw on the failure of humanism, ethical and moral decay, and prosperity of the wealthy.

Introduction

Science fiction has long addressed social issues in a futuristic perspective by drawing on contemporary problems and their potential outcomes for coming generations. The rapid development of informational technologies and their contribution to science have generated multiple opportunities for transforming human life into a prosperous, safe, and sustainable one. However, the omnipresence and the implicit power of technosciene over humans might become a significant concern if managed with profit purposes.

Harmful effects of technological advancement and artificial intelligence are observed even at the present time, which signalizes that despite democratizing implications, technoscience provides opportunities for resource misuse and injustice. These ideas are vividly illustrated in the movie Elysium that portrays overpopulated Earth in the year 2150. People are poor, suffer from epidemics, are forced to work at factories and plants, and are unlawfully controlled by robots (Elysium 2013). People are treated with disrespect and rights violations, are beaten and imprisoned by robots on the basis of the unrightfully designed laws programmed into their systems. At the same time, the level of technological advancement had reached the point when the wealthy managed to create an alternative artificial planet, or rather a spaceship called Elysium. Its artificial intelligence technologies allow for timely detection and completely curing any disease, stop aging, and ensure the longevity of Elysium’s citizens. However, only the wealthy have access to these opportunities, while poor and vulnerable citizens of the Earth are forbidden to visit Elysium unless they have enough money for a ticket.

Such a disparity between the poor and the wealthy, the dominators and slaves, implies a possibility of a transformed corrupted social system that might follow the promotion of technoscience. Birch (2020) refers to the contemporary and future social order as technoscience capitalism which is “characterized by the increasing interdependence between science/innovation and markets/business” (6). Indeed, as shown in the film, technologies are used as a means of control and oppression of humans. However, all the benefits are enjoyed by the wealthy who do not experience any suffering and live a healthy, youthful life on Elysium. The adversities of such a technoscience capitalistic world order include inequalities, unjust power, and resource distribution, failure of humanistic, ethical, and moral principles, as well as health care disparities. Therefore, this paper aims to argue that the advancement of technoscience with bias and without proper consideration of human rights and ethical principles will lead to the decay of humanity and a corrupted social order.

Material and Non-material Technologies

The emergence of technoscience produces both material and non-material technologies. Material technologies include robots, machines, computers, and other devices or objects that are using technology to assist humans in their activities. Non-material technologies, on the other hand, include data and information that are programmed to control the material technologies or provide information or automation opportunities for humans. As demonstrated in the film Elysium, the use of both types of technologies is concentrated in the hands of elites and is not used to resolve tentative problems on Earth. For example, the film contains multiple scenes showing deserted landscapes of the planet, which has been destroyed by “the degradation of natural resources by anthropogenic intervention on the environment” (De Mello e Silva, De Barros and Rodriguez de La Rocque 2017, 568). These landscapes are contrasted to the green and clean lawns and forests of Elysium, where technologies made it possible for the wealthy to strive. However, despite the obvious opportunities of technology implementation for environmental revival, technoscience is not applied to improve the living conditions of the poor.

Transhumanism

The continuous work of scientists on the improvement of human capacities and abilities has been particularly aimed at eliminating human weaknesses and ensuring their becoming invulnerable. The ultimate goal that such endeavors are pursuing is the emergence of posthumans who have unique abilities allowing for inhumane strength, health, and intelligence. According to Porter (2017), transhumanism is “an intellectual and socio-political movement that is concerned with a cluster of issues in bioethics, in particular, issues involving the use of technology to transform the human organism radically” (238). It pursues overcoming humans’ limitations by advancing their capabilities beyond naturally possible.

Such an idea implies multiple beneficial opportunities when tackled in the context of the solving of some tentative social problems or tasks. In particular, the improved intellectual abilities might be applied to governmental actors, scientists, doctors, and other individuals whose knowledge and competence contribute to the well-being of society. These benefits are partially illustrated in some of the science in the movie where the main character weakened after radiation exposure is assisted with a biotechnological skeleton that helps him move faster and stronger (Elysium 2013). Similarly, the drives with data integrated into the brains of the decision-makers and elite, which govern the Earth from Elysium, also obtain transhumanistic possibilities but use them for wrong purposes (Elysium 2013). Thus, the emergence of transhumanism in a society that is corrupted and driven by profit-making and division into the poor and the wealthy is likely to jeopardize the positive intentions of the scientists. Instead, it is likely to allow for oppression, the prosperity of the elites, and the collapse of humanistic society.

Furthermore, transhumanism contradicts the principles of morality and humanism. Indeed, according to Porter (2017), the most significant humanistic values integrated into transhumanism are rationality and autonomy. However, transhumanism does not foster moral principles but rather opposes nature. As research shows, “humanism tends to rely exclusively on educational and cultural refinement to improve human nature whereas transhumanists want to apply technology to overcome limits imposed by our biological and genetic heritage” Porter 2017, 238). Thus, transhumanisms does not help bridge the gap in disparities and inequalities; on the contrary, it might reinforce them if implemented with bias.

Artificial Intelligence

Another element of technoscience that might jeopardize humanity and humanistic society is artificial intelligence. It is omnipresent in the film where police robots are programmed to detect potential felons and beat them, or a programmed parole officer capable of detecting sarcasm imposes a punishment for an uncommitted crime (Elysium 2013). The capabilities of artificial intelligence allow for the citizens of Elysium to be instantly diagnosed with health issues and cured on the basis of artificial intelligence scanning. At the same time, it is not implemented on Earth, where people are forced to work in inhumane conditions exposing themselves to radiation in order to produce robots (Elysium 2013). Such a disproportionate distribution of technologies and resources demonstrates the corruptness of the system and the failure of artificial intelligence to serve humanity. It reinforces border control, slavery, socio-economic and territorial stratification, and domination of market rules over humanity (Muñoz 2018). Therefore, in Montes and Goertzel’s (2019) opinion, artificial intelligence should be decentralized, democratized, and distributed to avoid bias and ensure equality and prosperity for all.

Humanism, Ethics, and Morality in Society

Human rights violation is one of the major concerns related to the forced implementation of technoscience for human control. For example, one of the adversities caused by artificial intelligence is the breach of privacy rights, which is currently observed in online marketing based. According to Raso et al. (2018), artificial intelligence “systems depend on the generation, collection, storage, analysis, and use of vast quantities of data – with corresponding impacts on the right to privacy” (7). Indeed, the information retrieved from the databases might be used against humans to ensure the meeting of the interests of elites.

Moreover, ethical concerns might be outweighed by the profit-generation and pursuing of market goals. Human life and safety are not prioritized over producing rate, which is illustrated in the scene where the main character is forced to enter a radiation chamber to adjust the mechanism (Elysium 2013). Being threatened to be fired in the case of disobedience, the main character is treated with human rights violation, contradicting the ethical principles. As it has been identified by researchers, “the culture of techno-science is aiming more and more at the direct control of human beings” (Caraça 100). It is centered on the “knowledge of physiological and psychological behavior, rather than through the longer path of understanding the forces of nature” (Caraça 100). In such a manner, technoscience hinders the conventional ethical principles by transforming them into the validations of anti-humane activity. Morality, as well as ethics, is worthless for a society driven by technoscience that is used for profit-making and stratification of the population. The lives of the poor are deprived of worth and might be destroyed through the application of biotechnologies, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

Conclusion

As the analysis of the possible impact of technoscience on humanity shows, the adversities outweigh benefits under the condition that the technological advancement is concentrated in the hands of a corrupted and biased system. Material and non-material technologies, artificial intelligence, and transhumanism are all positive aspects of technoscience and might produce multiple striving and sustainable opportunities for humanity. However, it will only be possible if they are democratized, decentralized, and distributed to ensure equality of access, following of human rights, ethical, and moral principles. The intersection of market forces and technologies might have drastic harmful outcomes for humanity. Therefore, it is essential to impose strict regulations for the implementation of technologies to minimize harmful effects.

References

Birch, Kean. 2020. “Technoscience Rent: Toward a Theory of Rentiership for Technoscientific Capitalism.” Science, Technology, & Human Values, 45 (1): 3-33.

Caraça, João. 2018. “Techno-Science and Ethics.” Cadmus, 3 (5): 97-101.

De Mello e Silva, Madalena, Marcelo Diniz Monteiro de Barros, and Lucia Rodriguez de La Rocque. 2017. “The Socio-Scientific Issues in the Film Elysium: Connections between Science and Citizenship on the” School Floor”.” Demetra: Food, Nutrition & Health 12 (3): 561-574.

Elysium. Directed by Neill Blomkamp. 2013. United States: TriStar Pictures.

Montes, Gabriel Axel, and Ben Goertzel. 2019. “Distributed, Cecentralized, and Democratized Artificial Intelligence.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change 141: 354-358.

Muñoz, Pablo Gómez. 2018. “Dystopias Go Global: The Transnational Reorganization of Territories and Societies in Elysium.” English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries, 15(1): 111-125.

Porter, Allen. 2017. “Bioethics and Transhumanism.” The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 42 (3): 237-260.

Raso, F.A., Hilligoss, H., Krishnamurthy, V., Bavitz, C. and Kim, L. 2018. “Artificial Intelligence & Human Rights: Opportunities & Risks.” Berkman Klein Center Research Publication, 6: 1-63.

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