Ghost in the Shell: Transhumanism, Part II.

In my previous article, I discussed the idea of transhumanism as shown in the 1995 film Ghost in the Shell.

Ghost in the Shell, created by Masamune Shirow, began in 1989 as a manga, (comic book). The 1995 film adaptation failed in the theaters, but achieved enormous success in the VHS rental market. From 1997 onward, a series of mangas, television series, films- theatrical and direct-to-video, and video games have expanded the original material into an international franchise. 

There is a very loose continuity shared by all the properties. Motoko Kusanagi, Batou, and Chief Aramaki appear in all of them, but their backstories and in-story characterizations change, sometimes dramatically. Other ancillary characters such as Borma or the Fujikomas are central figures in some, while missing entirely from others.

The point is that unlike other franchises like Star Wars or Star Trek, Ghost in the Shell does not have a consistent centralized story.

What it does have is consistent themes.

Transhumanism, or the concept that humans can transcend our physical limitations using technology, is the central theme. Discussions of personhood- Who’s a person? What’s a person?- appear in all versions of the GITS story.  

Ethical questions follow close behind. If a non-corporeal program can be a person, then what rights does it have? And if technology can elevate things into people, then it can also degrade people into things. What happens to the biological humans who can’t afford the technology? It’s expensive after all, and someone has to pay.

In the 1995 film, there are multiple references to the fact that the team members of Section 9 do not own their own bodies. Motoko Kusanagi, Batou, and the rest are state employees, and should they ever leave their position, they must either a) pay the debt incurred in the purchase and maintenance of their upgrades or b) return the state’s property.

The problem is that for someone like Kusanagi, who, if you recall, is a full conversion cyborg, the only thing that’s actually hers is her brain and a small part of her brainstem. She can’t live without the technology. So for the Major and others like her, employment is a life or death situation.

If the state, in all its complicated bureaucratic glory, requires Kusanagi to perform something illegal or unethical- then can she refuse? And if, having completed the task, the state decides to fire her because someone recorded the act and it went viral, what recourse does she have?

A later entry in the GITS universe focuses exclusively on the question of Kusanagi’s personhood. In the first episode of the 2015 Ghost in the Shell: ARISE, Motoko Kusanagi is a full conversion cyborg from birth. The state paid for the procedure as part of the national healthcare system.

At a hearing regarding her request for independence, Kusanagi says, “You expect me to endure a position where I have to file paperwork every time I open my wallet?”

She can’t own property or make financial decisions for herself because she’s classified as government property. 

An official at the hearing answers her, “The cost of prosthetic bodies far exceeds standard health insurance payouts. You ought to do your duty to the government which guarantees your right to life.”

In other words, “We own you, so do as your told.” Kusanagi strikes a deal with Section 9: they will pay off her debt, and she will be an independent person if she solves a crime for them. She succeeds, but in the process discovers that her mentor and many others in the government are thoroughly corrupt. Their voluntary, shortsighted, ethical lapses directly affect her ability to live.

If made public, the government could very well terminate her funding source and thereby her existence. Thus, the various groups protect their own and the corruption is covered up.

In the universe of Ghost in the Shell, Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 are fairly well off. What about the poor and destitute? Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence and the television series feature this as a main plot point. Immigrants and refugees are flooding into Kusanagi’s country. The government is reluctant to receive them…

…but the corporations…

…exploit them. Specifically, the major producers of humanoid robots (androids) kidnap thousands of displaced and stateless men, women, and children and consume them in creating realistic robots for the rich.  

To repeat: when transhumanism makes things into people, it also makes people into things. Specifically, it makes the people who can’t afford the technology into objects to be used and discarded.

Ghost in the Shell Transhumanism

What are we, as Christians, supposed to do with transhumanism?

The Vatican’s already laid the foundation for an answer:

94. Our ontological status as creatures made in the image of God imposes certain limits on our ability to dispose of ourselves. The sovereignty we enjoy is not an unlimited one: we exercise a certain participated sovereignty over the created world and, in the end, we must render an account of our stewardship to the Lord of the Universe. Man is created in the image of God, but he is not God himself. (International Theological Commission, Communion and Stewardship: Human Persons Created in the Image of God. 2002)

In other words, Christians are to remember that we are the creation and not the creator. As such, we use the things that God has given us in order to serve one another, while remembering that it is the people- the creation- that matter most. People come first; things come second.

This doesn’t mean we have to follow in the footsteps of Ned Ludd and smash the machines. Rather, it means we use the tools that we have to benefit all- not just the wealthy few. It also means that we make provision for those who have little to nothing.

In other words, we observe the historic Biblical call to care for the sick, widowed, orphaned, and imprisoned.

Ghost in the Shell Transhumanism