Das Maschinengespenst

I talked a lot the last two weeks about, essentially, identity. In the supervillain post, there was the idea that the fates can play a major role in a person's development, while in the post on religion, there was the assertion that a person's true self is defined by his actions. However, these two interpretations seem to be at odds with each other. How is it that on the one hand, one's identity can be the sum of one's actions, implying free will, yet that same person can be shaped and forced down a path by fate, implying predetermination?

Let's take a look at free will for a moment. Abstracted a little further, it comes down to a question of choice, and why it is that we make the choices we do. We as humans are creatures of memory. We learn to make decisions based on a combination of trial and error and past experiences. So then, one might argue that no choice is ever entirely free; whatever a person chooses to do at any given point, any time and place is simply the result of the sum total of his experiences. Even if one makes a conscious choice to "do something different," is that not still determined by one's past? That is, the reason that one makes that choice to be different still stems from all the times one did not choose to be different, and the consequences of those choices. Now consider this: with computers becoming exponentially more powerful, it is not inconceivable that a fully realized AI construct could soon exist. Now, if the sum total of a person's life experiences could be extracted, and uploaded into a computer, would the two then come to the same conclusions, make the same decisions?

This leads into the title of this post, Das Maschinengespenst, or literally, the machine ghost. Where does one draw the line between the human consciousness and that of an AI? Is there, perhaps, something more to choice than just conditioning? Do we, as individual human beings, have the power to determine our own paths? Masamune Shirow delved into this idea with his manga Ghost in the Shell. It is set in a near future, where a significant percent of the population has been fully cyberized, with their brains implanted into cybernetic bodies. In GitS, he explored the concept of a ghost, or the brain's unique interpretation of one's self. While one could easily switch bodies, changing one's outward appearance, the ghost remained the same, at least until some event triggered a change in one's self-conscious. Therefore, each person could still retain their individuality, because no two people could ever have the exact same self image. In a matter of speaking, the ghost can be said to represent the soul; it is the one completely unique part of one's self that could never be duplicated, and sets each individual apart from the rest of the world.

To attribute all choice to conditioning then, is perhaps to oversimplify the question a little too much. After all, it is easy to see how different individuals can make completely different decisions in similar, if not identical situations. Few tropes are as prevalent as the idea of two siblings, both raised in less than ideal conditions, with one coming to the conclusion that the solution is to become a better person and break free of the chains of his situation, while the other gladly dives into the broken system, perpetuating the same problems that he had to endure. What is it that sets these two apart, and why do they come to such polar ideas?

I'd like to believe that ultimately, our fates are our own. Maybe that's just a human fallacy, wanting to believe that I have control over my life. However, the alternative is just a little too bleak. What's the point in well, anything at all, if every single action is predetermined by everything else in the world? While I do believe that we are all the sum total of our unique experiences and memories, I don't think that we are necessarily controlled by that. I think every person has the power to turn their destinies around, so long as they work hard at it. You may not go from being dirt poor to being a millionaire, but maybe you can make a life for yourself, and give your kids a better chance at a good life. Even the worst criminal has the power to make something of himself; it is simply a matter of will. The same is true of the opposite; even the greatest hero can fall from grace, in a moment of weakness. Your life is your own. Your choices are your own. It is not my place to judge those choices. In fact, I will respect whatever it is you do, so long as you make that decision yourself, and don't try to pass the blame to outside influences. Be a hero, be a villain. It doesn't matter to me. Just make up your own damn mind, and do it already. Now excuse me while I go work on my army of robot minions.