Theres a matter of factness toGhost In The Shellthat is perfectly chilling.
If our souls are programs within machines, then it follows that those programs can be hacked.
If they can be hacked, they can be controlled, shut down, or corrupted.
What might it mean if the organic bit of us were taken away?
What would remain, and how would its absence change us?
Yet her body also seems plastic and somehow sexless; a vehicle to be driven, like a car.
What would the ability to create and delete memories do to our value of them?
Might the same be true for memories?
If we have the illusion of a lived experience, do we need the physical activity itself?
Ghost In The Shellwas made at a time when the internet was around but far from a ubiquitous presence.
Indeed, the whole conspiracy central to the movie is driven by its artificially intelligent villain.
If theres an iciness toGhost In The Shell,theres also a hint of optimism.
I think nowadays, technology has been proven to be the thing thats actually changing people.
So in that sense, its become a theme in Japanese culture.
By migrating to the web we lose our sense of privacy.
Now well over 20 years old,Ghost In The Shellremains a sci-fi tale of extraordinary, chilling ambivalence.
