In this blog post, I’ll examine the issues of human identity and the nature of life raised by the movie ‘Ghost in the Shell’, and consider whether we need to redefine the concept of life in light of advances in science and technology.
I had long known that “Ghost in the Shell” was the film that inspired “The Matrix,” so it was a movie I had always wanted to see at least once. However, understanding this film was no easy task. To the point where I felt the filmmakers were being uncooperative, it was difficult to grasp the film’s content and themes with just a single viewing without any prior background knowledge.
The film depicts a future society. In that era, technologies known as “cyberization” and “cyber-body” exist. “Cyberization” refers to the modification of the human brain to endow it with enhanced processing capabilities. It involves digitizing the brain—a technology that not only improves brain performance but also enables the entire human race to be connected into a single network. It is as if each individual has become a computer connected to the internet. As a result, groups have emerged that commit crimes by hacking into human brains, and the “Ghost in the Shell” unit is tasked with preventing this. “Cyberization” is a technology in which the body—excluding the human brain—is artificially constructed, and the brain is then implanted into that body. The film depicts the “Ghost in the Shell” unit—created through “cyberization” and “cyber-body integration”—carrying out its missions. The main questions the film poses to the audience are: “To what extent can something be called human?” and “How is a living being defined?” The story unfolds centered on “Major Kusanagi,” who can be considered the film’s protagonist. As a member of Public Security Section 9 of the Ghost in the Shell, Major Kusanagi was on a mission to track down a hacker known as the “Puppet Master.” Major Kusanagi had long pondered the meaning of life—specifically, how the sense of “self” is formed. When “Puppet Master” appeared, she became curious and wanted to make contact with him. People manipulated by the “Puppet Master” are all hacked into believing that distorted memories are their own, causing them to move like puppets; however, the moment they are arrested by the Public Security Bureau and learn the truth, they experience severe identity crisis. The film captures the moment when they realize that what they had believed to be their own memories were, in fact, fabricated, manipulated, and implanted into their brains. That scene gives viewers much food for thought.
Everyone has probably had this thought at least once: Does the being called “I” actually exist? In fact, this question is not unique to modern society. Even Zhuangzi’s “Butterfly Dream”—a story familiar to most people—stems from a question of self-identity, does it not? It raises the question of whether the world we live in is, in a sense, an illusory situation akin to a dream, and whether the real world might actually exist elsewhere. In the film, the Major goes even further than this line of thought, raising the question of whether the very things—such as memory and the body—that enable us to recognize our own existence might actually be the very things that bind us. I can’t help but think this represents a level of understanding that goes beyond the one-dimensional discussion of the recognition of life itself. Rather than taking comfort in the fact that we can recognize our own existence, he views the body and memory—which serve as the motivation for that recognition—as constraints that prevent us from enjoying true freedom.
Given this perspective, it is only natural that the Major would become curious about the “Puppeteer,” who moves freely through the information network. Toward the end of the film, the Major eventually makes contact with the “Puppeteer” and, persuaded by him, merges with him. The Major thus casts off the shackles he had so long agonized over and yearned to escape, throwing himself into the vast network.
Of course, while this ending is a cinematic device, it certainly provides viewers with plenty to think about. If it were possible to fuse one person’s thoughts with another’s—much like copying and pasting a file on a computer—that would be truly remarkable.
In fact, I might have been even more surprised because it reminded me of a wild fantasy I once had as an engineering student. It was a thought that came to me as I observed the pace of modern scientific and technological advancement. As the pace of progress accelerates, those venturing into new fields will need even more time to master the body of knowledge established by previous generations of scientists. In modern society, one must invest at least 30 to 40 years in studying the existing body of knowledge just to conduct original research. The problem is that as this accumulated body of knowledge grows more vast, the time required will continue to increase, and due to the limitations of human lifespan, people might have to spend nearly their entire lives learning existing paradigms. However, if the scenario were like the one in the movie, my absurd concern could be easily resolved. One could simply have the existing body of knowledge implanted into the brain and then proceed to conduct new, creative research. My first thought after watching this film was that the title choice was inappropriate. I felt it failed to properly reflect the meaning of the original English title, “Ghost in the Shell.” The title was intended to convey the idea of a “ghost” (soul) contained within a “shell” (cyberbody), as depicted in the film, so it was very disappointing that the Korean title was simply rendered as “Ghost in the Shell.” Considering the impact a title has on viewers, I believe this has a negative effect, significantly limiting their perspective even before the movie begins. In the film, a “puppet master” is not a being with an actual brain. Simply put, it is an entity that possesses only a programmed electronic brain. However, given that it is capable of higher-order thinking than anyone else and is connected to a vast knowledge base, I don’t think it’s a simple question to decide whether or not to recognize it as a living being. We must first consider what the “Ghost” referred to in the film actually is. Isn’t this slightly different from what we commonly mean by “soul”?
I believe the “Ghost” the film refers to is not defined by the body, memories, or external factors, but rather signifies a self that is capable of self-awareness. Therefore, the protagonist, the Major, preserves his own Ghost as he breaks free from the body he considered a shackle and plunges into a vast network of information. As we can see in the film, the Major was confident in his own Ghost.
According to the current biological definition of life, the entities depicted in the film may not meet the criteria for life. However, as this essay has highlighted, I believe these technologies could not only prove useful in our daily lives but are also by no means impossible to realize. If we only begin to ponder solutions to a problem after we’ve already faced it, resolving the issue may not go smoothly. Therefore, when presented with such imaginative technologies through science fiction films, I believe it is necessary not merely to marvel at the cinematic imagination but to reflect on and discuss the questions raised by the film in advance. Of course, redefining what constitutes life is no easy task. It will require an effort in which experts from various fields of society put their heads together, deliberate, and then meticulously review and refine their ideas. While robot vacuum cleaners are currently the most advanced example of robot technology, technologies like those depicted in this movie will become a reality before long. Perhaps it’s already too late to begin this discussion on redefining life right now?
