The Day the Earth Stood Still!
How does this film address one or more of the guiding questions? Does it do so in thought-provoking and interesting ways? Why or why not?
Specifically I'll answer Guiding Question # 3: What makes us human? What is the difference between man and machine?
The Day the Earth Stood Still had an interesting and somewhat unconventional answer to this question. Our "humanity" is determined by our flaws, our inherent aggression, our greed and sins. Machines are different in the respect that they have none of these flaws; they feel no aggression, they have no greed, they commit no sins. But most commonly machines are either painted as something to be feared or something to be ruled. They are either complacent servants or active destroyers. In The Day the Earth Stood Still robots are neither...instead they are judges. On the super-advanced world from which Klaatu hails, robots are the sole arbiters of right and wrong. Judge, jury, and executioner. The people of this world willingly made robots into the sole caretakers of moral justice. From a certain perspective this seems totalitarian; democracy dies with thunderous applause, and all that. That's not how I see it.
I see a parallel with religion. Humans make God into the caretaker of morality; He decided with the ten commandments whether our actions are right or wrong, He decides our punishment, and yet at the same time He is a manmade creation. The robots of Klaatu's world fill the role of God in society...they keep the peace, uphold morality, determine right and wrong, and do so completely flawlessly. They possess no human flaws and are thus Godlike themselves.
The obvious message from this is that "humanity" is the root of injustice, and only something inhuman can uphold true justice. The scope of human knowledge and reason is limited and prone to failure and weakness. Therefore, only something inhuman, be it a supernatural being or a mechanical one, can truly judge right from wrong.
Or something.
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I didn't make the connection between religion and the robots used by Klaatu's people. That was a great connection and you backed it with thorough analysis. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI can see where you are taking this idea it is very intresting and it actually makes sence.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. The connection to religions makes alot of sense. Like before, in Greek times and sometimes now with modern religions, men would fear god and his wrath because they didn't understand what he/they were. What isn't understood is always feared. And what's feared is usually then hated. As was the case with the aliens.
ReplyDeleteBasically the entire concept of morality was born out of fear. Goodness exists because people fear retribution. We don't break human laws because we fear legal punishment. On a deeper level, we don't break moral laws because we fear divine punishment. Religion is a pact of fear, willingly signed by all who subscribe to faith.
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