Hayles suggests that “the cyborg complicated [liberal humanism] by its figuring of a rational subject who is always already constituted by the forces of capitalist markets” (88-87) Do you think the cyborgs in Elysium (the police, parole officers, military agents) are fully conscious and/or rational? Do they own themselves or do they function under the forces of a capitalist market? In what way does this support or contradict what Hayles is saying?
ENGL 360 | Future Perfect Human
Prof. Myra Seaman | Fall 2016
Cyborgs have always been a fascination of mine, due in part to the very sci-fi heavy tendencies I have in my own personal readings and interests. The cyborgs in ‘Elysium’ are very rational, however it is in a very machine-like way rather than in a logical and human way. A human would likely come to different conclusions or carry out orders differently than the cyborgs that make up the majority of the films ‘muscle’ in the police and military. They are shown to have less of a personal consciousness and more a hive mind of ultra connected machines in a way, and this factors in to how Miller asks about the capitalist market. They work for the betterment not of people or themselves, but of their respective owners, whatever area of the market they might be from. I believe this supports Hayles because these cyborgs are always at work, always vigilant, and always ready to do what their ‘owners’ tell them to do.
The Armadyne corporation robots are clearly supervised and limited at the hands of the sub-group of the rich human in “Elysium.” However, like Levena said they show the capacity to make rational decisions, and that is exactly all they do. The computer program controlling their wills keeps them in restraints to perform their different duties. The cyborgs support Hayles theory to the utmost degree. The way in which they are used by the rich is as a means to an end. That end is ultimate control the earth population. If these cyborgs possesed other rational capabilities then we would see them performing other tasks and displaying traits of a human. The robots are merely rational in the sense of their programming, which is completely limited to the objectives the humans set in place for them. If they were fully conscious we would see them developing inconsistent behavior, because with consciousness grows curiosity. They may one day decide that they do not want to work any longer. Or they could decided that they can do whatever they wish, but they cannot because their programming is limited and controlled with a precision to keep them in line. Plus there is no other proof that any other machines in this movie can display this ability, so one must assume they are only capable up to a certain level. With that being said we have the moment when we see the police grab Max out of the transit line to question him. The robots display the ability to use discretion, in that case they did not, they broke Max’s arm instead. However this could also just be another step in their programming when they believe a person is being hostile. It is an interesting thing to think about.
In previous texts, we’ve been introduced to many posthumanist technologies that challenge our ideas of the artificiality of these cyborgs. Elysium’s cyborgs, however, perpetuate Hayles’ idea of a cyborg working solely under the restrictions of their ‘owners’. While the cyborg may be depicted as rational, this is only because of its programming. As suggested above, these cyborgs work in favor of whatever market their owners and programmers are a part of and therefore are only an extension of that person or market’s will at the time of its creation. We later see how this can become more complicated as the humans are ever-changing and the cyborgs are not. Toward the end of the film, a cyborg is requested to arrest Julio and denies it due to Julio’s new status as an Elysium citizen. While the intent for these cyborgs is for them to follow the instruction of the market, it is restricted to its programming and can therefore not be considered rational, or on any one side.
I think the cyborgs (robots?) in Elysium are rational to a point, as they have been programmed by humans and are therefore subject to flaws in said programming. There’s also the fact that to the rich, the technology is seen as useful and a benefit to every day life, the robots seen more like servants and personal bodyguards. The poor living on Earth, however, get a much different view of technology, in that it’s far more violent and likely to cause more harm in their minds than the good it could possibly do. This is especially seen when the police, who are supposed to keep the people safe, break Max’s arm because he made a joke, something that would not happen on Elysium. The people on Earth are treated as means to an end, not only by the rich but also by their “peacekeeper” robots to keep the factories running and are easily replaceable.
As others so neatly articulated above, the robots in Elysium function logically (to the extent that it benefits their corporate programmers) but are incapable of independent thought. They have the capacity to make decisions—such as the parole robot extending Max’s sentence—however, any action or decision they make is fundamentally determined by the humans at Armadyne. Therefore, the robots of Elysium are much less likely to encroach on the foundations of liberal humanism because they cannot be described as “owning themselves.” Although the future it depicts is far from utopian, Elysium’s world does manage to maintain the balance between “self-regulating” machinery and human individualism. (Until, of course, Max basically becomes a cyborg; however, this too demonstrates a human use of technology rather than technology using itself.) The robots’ only purpose is to obey programming, which—in contrast to the oppressive economic systems that produced them in the first place—doesn’t pose much of a threat to the autonomy of the humans around them.